


Postcards

by fugitivehues



Category: D.N. Angel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon - Manga, Canon-Typical Violence, Crack, Family, Missing Scene, Multi, One Shot Collection, Prompt Fic, Spoilers, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 23,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29274267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fugitivehues/pseuds/fugitivehues
Summary: Missing scenes, AUs, canon divergence, and crack — one shots about a traveling father.30. Hiwatari saves Kosuke from an artwork
Relationships: Niwa Emiko/Niwa Kosuke, Niwa Kosuke & Hiwatari Kei, Niwa Kosuke/Hiwatari Kei
Comments: 51
Kudos: 5





	1. On the run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene in volume 3

_I’m too old for this_ , he thought mournfully, breathing too heavily to speak aloud.

His unspoken words would have been lost in the furor of the pursuing crowd full of reporters, misguided fans, and passionate policemen, but the fear of being recognizable in any manner stuck like a lump in his dry throat. Rubber shoes scrambled for purchase on the slick metal roofing, and he tumbled gracelessly to his hands before leaping forward into another sprint. 

Dozens of footsteps pounded only a couple meters behind, gaining ground, pressing closer.

Kosuke’s heart slammed against his chest, and he almost smiled with giddy exhilaration. He hadn’t felt so alive (or terrified) since he’d bumped into a bear cub and its furious mother several years prior. The eager mob nipped at his heels as he leapt across rooftops. Every passing second made the threat of arrest and prison more real. Until there were no more rooftops.

Alarm bells rang in his mind as he approached the ledge without a hint of deceleration. Alarm bells rang throughout the museum block as somewhere Daisuke escaped with his prize and love. Emiko would be waiting nearby when the seething masses had been satisfied with the show. And With would- what would he do again?

Bracing himself to surrender to gravity’s pull and the concrete street below, Kosuke faintly heard a voice above the racing heartbeat in his ears. A sharp yank on his ankle brought the rooftop smashing into his face. Or the other way around.

For a moment he lay immobile, trying to regain the breath that had been knocked out of his lungs in the impact. Then the sounds returned: singing alarms, booming fireworks, and a triumphant shout.

The metal cooled his feverish skin. Kosuke’s fingertips could almost reach the ledge that had been his freedom. He rolled onto his back and kicked blindly, trying to shake free from the fierce grip on his foot. He recognized his captor’s uniform in between flashes of fireworks, and renewed his attempts to escape with another burst of terrified adrenaline, all the while apologizing in his mind to the prone officer who was definitely underpaid for this level of dedication.

The crowd was nowhere to be seen. There remained no one else to recognize Kosuke, nor to help the policeman who had chased a red herring so far.

Exhausted from their late night dash, neither could form more than a few words. From what Kosuke could understand, the other’s mostly consisted of "stop”, “arrest”, and “damn thief”. The struggle and kicking were fruitless; Kosuke’s energy would run dry much faster than the young man before him, but he couldn’t give up. He couldn’t risk causing trouble for—

"Daisuki!"

Both men stared defiantly into each other’s eyes, panting heavily. A moment of solidarity in their shared disbelief. Slowly, reluctant to break eye contact for as long as possible, the two men’s stunned faces turned to see "Dark" looming over them, illuminated by colorful fireworks and smiling cheerfully.


	2. Flower for her

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anime-manga canon fusion AU; gardening

The toe of his boot collided with the wooden steps several times, shaking loose clods of dark dirt before he stepped into the warm home.

Afternoon sunlight beamed lazily through the open windows and in one, a fan whirred at full speed, filling the house with its dull tones and disturbing the hanging clothes and his wild hair— the strands that weren’t heavy with sweat, that is.

He left his shoes in the entryway and slipped into an old, rough pair of slippers.

Kosuke gingerly stepped onto the freshly cleaned floor, heart leaping into his throat as he waited for any to fall into a dark pit or for the ceiling to spit out a spiked boulder. With a little more pressure, and no signs of sudden death yet, he released a relieved sigh and continued breathing— and walking— normally. As normal as he could in this house.

He didn’t feel truly safe until he reached the kitchen, where she cheerfully prepared dinner. The kitchen was even brighter than the entrance. Filled with soft colors and sheer curtains that did nothing but waft in the breeze and diffuse the light even more. It made her red hair positively glow.

He tucked a lock behind her ear, accompanying it with a white chrysanthemum. Emiko beamed at him with rosy cheeks and jumped into his arms.


	3. Arrested, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; the police have finally captured Dark!

It really couldn’t get much worse than this.

Well, he thought ever-optimistically as his stomach sank and metal cuffs snapped tight on his wrists, it could’ve been Daisuke instead.

"Finally! Dark Mousy, you’re under arrest for…"

It’s funny how one day you’re researching a magical wood carving from before the Cultural Revolution, and the next you’re stopped by an angry officer with a long coat in the middle of spring and a lit cigarette inside a museum. He really should have put that out before reading Kosuke his rights…

How was Kosuke to know that he’d been the only visitor to study that exhibition the day of his son’s Dark’s heist? How in the world did Emiko even send the notice? He marveled at her skills once again as the car stopped and two young, eager officers ran forward to escort him.

Really, it was all a bit much! Hands chained to the metal table, feet chained to the floor. He smiled through his cold sweat at the crowd of officers glaring peering through the doorway.

The man in the coat stormed in, shouting and triumphant. The other policemen backed away and the door slammed shut with a dozen or so clicks.

"Good luck escaping this time, thief! It’s locked with…"

Except for the occasional "lock", the (leader?) man’s gleeful words flew over Kosuke’s head and into the dull gray wall behind him. All this for Daisuke? Amazing!

His pounding heart leapt to his throat when a hand slammed into the table and the shouts darkened with annoyance. Stop— pay attention. Who knew how long it’d take the Niwas to save him from trouble this time?

Fidgeting hands clenched as the smoke from a new cigarette filled the air. That’d really calm his nerves right about now. The request for his own barely left his lips when a series of rapid clicks erupted from the door—

"Commander! You’re just in time for the interrogation!"

Lips closed.

A relieved— and chagrined— smile spread across them as he looked up at the stoic newcomer. 

No change of expression came from the teen, save for a twitch of his blue eyebrow.


	4. Arrested, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; the inspector and commander interrogate "Dark"

"You returned to Azumano last December for what - the first time in how many years?"

"Yes, but that was because—"

"Just a month after Dark’s big return. Huh!"

"I keep telling you, I’m not—"

"Surveillance footage indicates that you were at Azumano Joyland the day Dark appeared there! Do you deny that too?"

"No, but my wif—"

"You’re a frequent visitor of Azumano’s museums as well, aren’t you?"

"I—I’m a researcher of sorts so I—"

"And what the hell do you research?"

Cheeks flushed anew in his already red face. Art. The kind of Hikari pieces that Dark particularly favored.

The metal chair cut into Kosuke’s back, tense and pulling him as far from the deafening questions as he could. The officer— Inspector Saehara, he’d heard the younger officer chidingly call him once before returning to steely silence— hadn’t stopped pushing for what felt like hours. Didn’t that man ever sit? Maybe not if all the chairs were this uncomfortable.

Three cigarette butts had since joined the ash tray in front of his chained hands, which had long grown sore from incessant twisting and tugging.

Dozens of artworks and heist after heist…

Not for the first time, he threw a wordless plea at Commander Hiwatari. Who was currently… reading a little book!?

"Well?"

"The—" his words stumbled, throat dry. Would asking for a glass of water be too much of a bother?

"The Cultural Revolution…" And did a half truth really go down easier than a full lie? Emiko would have spun her interrogator in circles a dozen times by now, he thought wistfully.

Perhaps anything he had said that that point would have spurred the inspector to lean forward, pointing and shouting triumphantly, but Kosuke didn’t have time to consider should-have-would-haves as Satoshi’s cold voice cut through the room.

"This is a waste of time. Let me deal with him." He flicked his black booklet shut. "Alone."

Saehara stomped out, still bursting with excitement and a fury whose origins Kosuke was absolutely going to have a talk about with Dark later. _Maybe much later_ , he sighed and offered Satoshi a tired smile for the reprieve.

"Don’t look so grateful, Niwa. Your best chance for freedom relies on Dark—" was that a hot glower creeping into those blue eyes? "staging a heist during your confinement."

A classic strategy! Kosuke knew firsthand how much the Niwas got away with by it. Emiko was probably already out there searching for her next treasure; he nodded.

The prisoner searched the room for hidden cameras with eyes more experienced than they should be at this before asking -

"Why are we still in here?" Not that Kosuke wouldn’t love to have another chat with the bright boy, but he much preferred their comfortable arrangement from last time. Would they give "Dark Mousy" a better seat in his jail cell? _Daisuke’s a good kid; he’d deserve one…_ Kosuke shook his head. He couldn't let Daisuke ever get arrested!

"You’re scheduled for interrogation for the next two hours."

Satoshi flipped open his book again and coolly smoothed his expression as Kosuke looked at him with unabashed gratitude anyway. How could he not? His first round with the inspector already left his ears ringing.

"… And I didn’t need to watch you dig yourself a deeper grave when it came to Harada Risa’s romantic relationship with Dark."

Kosuke shuddered once more as the walls closed in again, this time holding back the soon-to-be mob of indignant officers and fathers. Yeah. Read as long as you like, Commander.


	5. Alligators and father-in-laws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene after volume 11's bonus chapter

"Please stop petting the test subjects."

He jerked his hand away, a sudden movement which has been deemed unwise if one seeks to gain the trust of a captive. It’s even more unwise when the object of one’s petting is a large, scaly predator.

Kosuke scuttled backwards, shoes threatening to slip on the damp floor of their massive basement. Alligator teeth clamped on air where his hand had been seconds before. The other alligators followed suit, recognizing prey when it makes a clumsy escape.

"They were fine a moment ago!" His hand groped the air behind him, searching for the ladder out of the sudden pit of death while survival instincts kept his eyes locked on the reptiles waddling closer. Their limbs slapped against the stone and their hide - quite smooth, as Kosuke gleefully learned minutes before - rippled over strong muscles.

"They’re supposed to chase." A voice floated down from over the ledge. Kosuke could hear the mocking smile, but clamoring up the ladder prevented any witty comebacks from entering his mind.

Hands nearing the top rung, he jerked downwards with a shout of surprise. A hand tightly grabbed his wrist and prevented the large alligator from pulling him in a very unpleasant direction. Its front teeth sunk into his shoe, and he could feel the sharp bones pressing into his foot. If it bit harder- but no, it would do nothing but fall toward its snapping comrades when a wooden cane rapped its snout.

Daiki tugged Kosuke upwards, folding his arms into kimono sleeves when his son-in-law was entirely safe and sound. Fluffy white eyebrows raised questioningly at his now-tattered shoe.

"You left your bat up here?"

Kosuke ducked his head, "When I finally found them, I decided to try another approach."

They were silent for a long moment while Kosuke stretched his ankle, surprised that he escaped unharmed. Awed by his father’s speed too. Age had made that man no less dangerous. They listened to the snaps and scrapes of alligators as the beasts returned to their resting spots, waiting for a more motherly Niwa to return with food and training exercises, probably.

"I actually pet an alligator," Kosuke chuckled, and shook his head. "I never expected to get along with them so well."

Daiki stared at him through knowing and hooded eyes, and Kosuke stared unwaveringly back with traces of a smile still lingering in the corners of his eyes. The elder motioned with his hand to leave. They were late for afternoon tea. "You know they’re too dangerous for that."

Kosuke stood and followed the departing man through the dim hallway. They’d already had this debate dozens of times— and he should show at least a little gratitude for being rescued— so he let Daiki get the last word, this time,

"Friendship can’t change everything."


	6. Spirit encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; a meeting with Rio Hikari

Kosuke's shaking hands peeled the sheet off his tangled feet with great care. Forcing a deep breath into his lungs, the man gingerly placed both feet on the freezing floor. Emiko stirred slightly beside him, but sleep held her too tightly to notice the other woman in their room. Moonlight bent around and through her form, creating uneven patches of body and air.

"Come with me." She repeated, as an all too familiar blue filled her stony eyes.

He reached out instead to his wife, gently brushing away silken strands of hair, and resting his numb fingers against that warm cheek. When he looked up again, the mysterious woman had already walked out the door, long blue curls of hair trailing behind her.

With a wince, his every footfall seemed to echo throughout the room; surely Emiko would wake to find an enemy in her fortress. Daiki, an intruder in his kingdom. Daisuke, an answer to unasked questions. 

Kosuke had to know more.

How did she die? Why was she here? 

In the dark hallway, she turned to face him, barely visible save for the shred of moonlight that slipped through Kosuke’s bedroom door.

"Wha—" His breath disappeared as a pain ignited between his ribs. Rio withdrew the bloody knife, handle and blade visible through her glass-like hands. Red streamed from his lips as he dropped to the floor, staring with silent questions at cold blue.

Kosuke's shaking hands clutched his chest, gasping for fresh air and ripping tangled sheets from his feet. Emiko rolled over with a tired moan, soft hair sprawling around her head like a halo. His trembling hand stilled against her warm cheek. Not until his heart calmed did Kosuke return to his own pillow with a long sigh. What a dream. He'd been up too late reading Hikari texts again.

His heart jolted painfully when he turned his head to the window and saw her there again, patches of light and ice in the dark.

"First lesson: don’t trust spirits."


	7. Interviews with artworks, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene after volume 6; Kosuke and Towa have tea and a chat

It only occurred to him after he placed the steaming mug of tea in front of her at the low wooden table, that he’d never seen her drink.

For a frequent fixture in their kitchen before and during family’s meals, that particular detail never made a mark on his memory. Regardless of his doubts, her painted fingers wrapped around the warm mug and chirped a bright thanks. Though only a couple months had passed, she’d settled into her new life quite happily, he thought.

"I appreciate you taking the time to chat, Towa-chan." Among the heists, his research, her chores, and the steady march of time, curiosity had grown while unasked questions gathered in an empty notebook— one that he now flipped open in his lap with a pen at the ready.

"Oh, it’s nothing!" Towa turned her head away with a coquettish smile, "I’ve always wanted to be interviewed like the celebrities on TV!"

"What would you want to tell them?" He chuckled, grateful for her openness (no artworks during his travels had been so chatty; not with a nosy human like him, at least) and relaxed into the plush chair as she regaled the exciting dramas that she had watched during game shows.

"—and then she stands up and takes her new man with her and the audience roars!" One hand rushed forward dramatically while the other balanced the cup without spilling a single drop.

"You’d make a dramatic exit like that too?"

"Plus a dazzling entrance!"

"And sit on a couch and tell them about your life?"

"Of course! I have the juiciest stories! You should’ve seen how many confessions and proposals and breakups and even an attempted murder happened at my lighthouse!" Her eyelashes fluttered and her passion softened faster than Kosuke could comment on the last list item. "Everyone said it was a romantic place, under the stars… by the waves… and there I was, at the top of it all."

Kosuke rolled the pen between his fingers, considering (and trying not to dwell on the aforementioned murder). "What about your own stories? Did you ever leave your lighthouse?"

She lifted the mug to her lips for a moment. So she does drink!

"Yes yes, when sweet Dai-chan called to me for help, how could I refuse? And it was all worth it to wake up to Dark’s amazing kiss…" Kosuke shook his head, awed by his son’s other half’s audacity— and frequent success. "And then the Hikari said to do what I wanted and I wanted to come here!"

The Hikari said what?

"Did you go anywhere before all that?"

"Why would I?" She twirled a lock of white hair around her finger, as if he’d shared his most obvious questions after all. 

"Is there anything you’d like to do here in Azumano?" Was she happy to settle with the Niwa family? What did a sculpture wish for in life?

"Besides being on TV," he quickly added.

The Towa no Shirube pursed her lips at that, and tilted her head delicately.

"I want to sit on the roof…" Towa lifted the tea to her lips again before continuing, gazing through him with starry, purple eyes, "Wear all the cute dresses. Watch the next episode of my soaps. And one of these days I’ll tour a haunted house!" 

Kosuke nodded as the ethereal beauty that often belied her true origins filled with familiar, all too human, emotions.

"These things are important to you, aren’t they, Towa-chan?" To which she laughed an _of course!_

Kosuke couldn’t keep her joy off his own face. She was remarkable. No wonder his wife was so fond of their newest acquisition.

Several lined pages afterward filled with information on the Cultural Revolution, worlds inside artworks, Dark’s far-reaching reputation, and the events of the last century seen from the top of one lone lighthouse.

Afterward, Kosuke grabbed the cups, both wobbling and full of untouched, lukewarm tea. He’d forgotten to drink his, and she... well, they’d have tea next time anyway, he decided.


	8. Two officers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; a pre-canon return to Azumano

Tires ground over loose gravel and splashed into rapidly growing puddles on the side of the road. Kosuke trudged down the sidewalk, head bent against the wind and spray of rain. His feet found no warmth in damp socks as the leak in his tired boots grew with each step.

He shook his head, freeing droplets from his limp black hair and feeling every part a stranger in a new land. The rumbling traffic beside him hadn’t slowed in hours. Had the town always been so lively?

His thick, green coat protected his body from the worst of the rain, though the humidity made every part of him sticky anyway. Drops of tepid water slipped from his hair and down his neck. A bus stop appeared in the corner of his vision, and he paused for half a step before moving on down the concrete path. Pausing his walk wasn’t an option yet.

Why did he come here then? It was too soon and he too empty-handed. His chest tightened, fingernails dug into his palms as his heart tugged in one direction and his wet boots in another.

The particular rumbles of an engine and crunching asphalt grew louder and more persistent until Kosuke could no longer pretend he hadn’t heard. Tilting his head, several more raindrops raced unpleasantly down his shirt while Kosuke eyed a police car cruising beside him.

No blaring red lights or angry siren yet. Well, that was a good sign.

Not knowing what else to do, he smiled and bowed minutely before his spongy soles continued their trek to the end of the street and… anywhere else. Kosuke almost crossed the intersection before the car sped forward and stopped on the crosswalk. He shifted to stuff his numb, fidgety hands into his pockets before thinking better of that suspicious action. A long sigh escaped his lips and pulled his shoulders down further as the window rolled down to reveal two uniformed officers.

"Evening, sirs!" Kosuke called above the rain and engine.

A man with a cigarette dangling off his bottom lip leaned away from the steering wheel and over his younger partner, who pressed himself back into the leather seat with a stony face, to speak through the passenger window.

"Where’re you headed at this hour?" The stranger ground out with furrowed brows.

"Nowhere in particular." As if that wasn’t suspicious, Kosuke winced.

"Been drinking?"

The youngest man said nothing during the exchange while Kosuke explained that he was not intoxicated, drugged, or doing other illegal activities. Kosuke’s nervous glances met the man’s unwavering eyes through glasses that were becoming progressively harder to see through as rain continued to fall into the open window.

Finally, the older man returned to his seat and Kosuke heard the click of the car lock. He didn’t expect…

"Get in, what are you waiting for!?"

Kosuke looked despairingly at his soaked clothes which would surely stain the seat and then at the young officer who immediately wiped a grimace away with a bright smile before rolling up his window.

Kosuke yanked on the slippery handle and found himself, for the first time, sitting willingly in the back of a (wonderfully warm) police car. The eldest carried the bulk of the conversation with complaints about weather, traffic, jobs, and all other topics that Kosuke hadn’t dabbled in in years. Not without a good deal of effort and conversation did Kosuke get any real responses from the younger man, but he found a fellow art enthusiast in him. For a couple hours, Kosuke was a citizen of Azumano again.


	9. Chocolates for him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; Satoshi has a gift

"I don’t like chocolate," was all the tall boy said that Valentine’s Day, two stuffed plastic bags dangling from each outstretched hand.

If they were heavy, Satoshi’s steady arms revealed as little as his face. And he had nothing to say to Kosuke’s surprised "eh?" either.

Shifting the worn books underneath one arm, Kosuke’s now-free hand looped through the plastic handles and braced for the sudden weight. He pulled them closer to examine their contents of cute bags and boxes with bows and papers of every shade of red and pink and— Were those chocolate-covered strawberries buried in there too?

With was going to love those.

"Ah, you really don’t want any? Thanks, I suppose!" Kosuke bowed automatically for lack of a better thing to do in the midst of this surreal exchange. Why him? Where had Satoshi collected so much chocolate? Was he that popular with the ladies? Could Emiko bake with this?

"Are you going to the library now?" Kosuke tried, nodding at the ornate building he had just left. It couldn’t be difficult for the police commander to surmise from the shy smiles he continued to receive: being observed in silence on an evening such as this was just too awkward for this Niwa to bear.

"No, I came to give those to you. Otherwise, I was going to toss them," Satoshi replied evenly, as usual, and turned on his heel to end the exchange before Kosuke moved on from helpless small talk to... heavier topics. 

It might have worked but...

Kosuke walked a couple strides behind him along the lamplit sidewalks, looking anywhere but the unflappable boy.

Unfortunately, the Niwa home lied in the same direction as Satoshi’s apparent destination. 

Would Satoshi be fine on a cold February evening with just one thin coat? This wasn't his child to mother, and yet— Kosuke averted his eyes once more. The rustling of Kosuke’s chocolate-laden bags wasn’t enough to fill the awkward, awkward silence for this nosy adult.

"How did you find me anyway?" He looked like he was asking a passing lamp post.

"You’re always in a public library from 4 to 7 p.m. on the day of Dark’s heists, and that one contains the most texts on tonight’s target," Satoshi, not the long-gone lamp, eventually replied. Which, Kosuke had to concede, did answer his question. If only to also spawn more concerned ones that had never before crossed his fretting mind.

With a shaky chuckle but emboldened by receiving any response at all, Kosuke matched Satoshi’s brisk pace. The sounds of the bags and their footsteps on concrete returned.

He needed to get home in time to bid Daisuke and Dark farewell. Speaking of which—

"Good luck tonight, Hiwatari-kun." Kosuke smiled warmly this time while the boy stared through wide glasses and lidded eyes flatly asking _Are you serious?_

"Please feel free to join me inside the library next time. I might be found in the baking section for a while." Raising his bags of chocolate prizes, Kosuke almost grinned, "I’ll have to start early if I’m going to top this for White Day!"


	10. Drinks for him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; Kei shares a drink

"How drunk are you right now?"

"Me? I’m not drunk!" Kosuke hastily replied, his warm smile straining in the face of an unflappable man before him.

He’d never again leave the house without a second shadow if Emiko knew his plans for a peaceful meeting in neutral territory had fallen through to intoxication and loose lips. After an hour of small talk and discussions on the finer details of local museums, a person needed a drink or three to stay hydrated, that’s all!

And besides, in a corner of the steadily filling bar, a redhead with a black scarf looked suspiciously like...

Nevermind that, Kosuke slowly slowly laid his glass, with less than a sip of rum swirling along the bottom, on the wooden bar, and took another crack at breaking the ice with Hiwatari.

"I’m serious," He looked into the man’s grey eyes, feeling his face relax with the heavy warmth in his stomach. "Don’t you think they’ve already shown themselves to be a good team? The tower, the door..."

"Ignoring the persistent criminal activity by one party?" Hiwatari tilted his head, his black hair gently following the motion. He bit the bait this time, but shards of ice lingered in his light words.

"That’s—"

The security of meeting in a public location had it’s own limitations, and Kosuke’s tongue tied itself for an answer that would keep him and his family out of jail.

"—not for nothing," he finished lamely. 

The knowing smile on Hiwatari’s face lowered the air temperature between their two bar stools by a couple degrees. Kosuke wondered if Emiko would lend him the scarf. There’s no way he knew about the Niwas’ preparations for a final confrontation, did he?

Kosuke’s fingers tapped his neglected glass and his eyes shifted to the other one resting beside Hiwatari’s arm. He couldn’t remember the man taking a single sip that night. Maybe Kosuke should have ordered something lighter. 

Or nothing at all, he glanced towards the corner of the bar where she— was gone!

"You have your own reasons too, I’m sure." Kosuke continued diplomatically. But he couldn’t stop there as the din of the bar reached a crescendo.

"Though I’ll admit to some disappointment after hearing about your attempt to shoot my son—"

"I would _never_ —" The man’s widening smile might have been frightening in the dim light, but...

"And more than a little impressed that you convinced your own son to do it—"

"Backhanded compliments are doubly insulting from you, Niwa-san." With a folding of thin hands and a tone suggesting he just might recant his aforementioned "never" if Kosuke didn’t cease tumbling down that particular rabbit hole.

"Hiwatari-san, think about it!" While half of Kosuke silently screamed to shut the hell up, the other half seized the momentum of the conversation with all the courage he had in stock. His face had already flushed with determination.

"If you’d convince Satoshi-kun to meet with Daisuke more often then they could combine their skills, and we, our knowledge, to..." He stumbled only twice around the name of a certain phantom thief, but finally the meeting had come to fruition and he laid out his entire plan.

"You have a bright mind," Hiwatari leaned forward, eyes sparkling. Kosuke strained to hear him above the noise. "But you limit yourself too much, given what’s at stake. I need more than idealism."

The zeal faded fast while the flush in his cheeks lingered. Kosuke sighed and relaxed against the bar, "You agreed to come here. So what _are_ you trying to do?"

"You’re not yet drunk enough for that conversation." Hiwatari pushed his untouched liquor towards Kosuke.

"Haven’t you had enough, sir?" A familiar voice cut in from behind the bar before Kosuke could refuse.

A redhead in a bartender’s apron with a very familiar voice.


	11. Snowball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; the whole family joins in the battle

Fingertips burned, unprotected from the biting cold that stole feeling from his toes and drove an ache into his very teeth. Each breath sent a new cloud of steam above his head.

Blinking away the flakes of snow settling heavily on his eyelashes, Kosuke let his gaze fall into the white expanse above, enjoying the silent—

_THUMP!_

He lurched forward, hot adrenaline rising up to meet the pile of snow that fell on his face.

"E-Emiko-san!" He cried out at the sudden and cruel betrayal, shaking frozen white out of his eyes and hair and clothes and—

_THWACK!_

"Get good, old man!"

With a shake of his head to clear it from the dizzying, new attacks, he caught sight of his enemies running back to their territory in glee.

Playing dead had been an utter failure!

But a moment of despair was all he could afford, as his wife and son— or who was _supposed_ to be his son in a fair fight but was now an immortal, famous art thief wearing ill-fitting, garish winter clothes— disappeared into the trees and snow.

Kosuke’s numerical advantage meant nothing when Argentine still struggled with the art of snowball making and Towa merely enjoyed pelting everyone from… wherever she had run off to. Scrambling to a crouch and struggling not to wince as the ice water trickled down his back, Kosuke readied his weapon. 

_Fighting a hopeless battle to its conclusion had merit_ , he comforted himself sagely one last time as his wife cackled and juggled three— no, four— snowballs.


	12. Arrested, part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; in the jail cell

"Thank you for—" He jumped as the door slammed in front of his face, preceding a dozen or so clicks that bounced around the small cell. The officers just outside might have made an attempt to muffle their gossip and speculation, but Kosuke didn’t listen to closely anyway.

Emiko would be here any minute now, he reminded himself for the hundredth time since this debacle began. The Niwas were more than prepared for any trespassing or warning notice-planting arrests. Bad luck couldn’t be too hard to deal with as well!

Rubbing his bare wrists absentmindedly, Kosuke paced the area and studied his surroundings for lack of a better distraction. Each raise of the guards’ voices or tap on the wall prickled his nerves. After his fifth loop (which didn’t take long), Kosuke paused. He hadn’t actually taken in any of the details in his room.

Apparently there wasn’t much to see beyond the barred window in the door and the bed and toilet on the opposite wall. Would Emiko arrive in disguise, dressed as a sharp lawyer? Would she bail him out as his tearful, loving wife? Would Daiki defend his son-in-law’s honor?

"Didn’t think we’d actually make it this far, eh?" A deep voice rang clearer than the rest outside his room.

"But I’m not—" Kosuke would say this a dozen more times if anyone would listen, but he didn’t get the chance when a younger voice responded,

"Who’d have have thought? Even Commander Hiwatari looked surprised… I think. You know what he’s like."

"Our Inspector’s been doing this longer than that guy’s been…"

The rest of the conversation was lost as the men moved further through the hall. Silence stretched for hours, it seemed, wearing away the restless energy that held Kosuke up. Even the guards outside quieted down once they’d all had a peek at “Dark Mousy” behind bars and patted each other on the back. Kosuke winced all the while.

_They were going to be so disappointed when Emiko announced her next target at the end of the week…_

His drooping eyes snapped open as an alarm screamed throughout the building. Hands shot up to cover his ears in the hot flush of anxiety. Someone please tell him she wouldn’t just—

And then it cut short, leaving his head ringing and eyes blinking in the sudden blackness. 

Outside of Kosuke’s small room became a new chaos, shouts and orders and the pounding of feet filled the void of the alarm. Several flashlights waved through the barred window into his squinting face. 

"Dark" was still here.

Some of the panic died down as officers reported his whereabouts on hand radios, but Kosuke’s only rose with the dawning horror that _this_ was the Niwas’ great plan for clearing his name. They couldn’t just break him out of jail! He’d never be allowed to set foot in a museum again! 

"Where the hell is Commander Hiwatari!?" Kosuke shared that sentiment with the gruffest voice shouting over the crowd. Better if the kid was here than chasing after whichever of his daredevil relatives had volunteered for this. On the other hand, maybe Satoshi could talk some sense into them.

He twisted his hands, still warm with anxiety and wishing he could send them a message that _no, he’s actually fine staying in jail a little longer, much appreciated, please water his plants._

One by one, coughs replaced the abrupt orders and reports of the police. Kosuke covered his mouth as smoke began to leak through the bars and under the door. The prisoner could only watch dazedly while flashlights fell to the ground with sharp clacks, contrasting with thuds of heavy bodies.

The smoke must not have been Daiki’s most potent formula as the men still gave out low groans and wheezes when the lights flashed back on, painfully bright.

A dozen or so clicks from the cell door alerted Kosuke that this was the time. He shakily stood, not yet ready for his new life as a fugitive but ready to be dragged along anyway.

"Yo!"

Thanks to his protective hand, Kosuke could at least deny that his jaw dropped when the door swung wide and revealed his grinning rescuer.

"I heard some old guy’s claiming he’s as cool as me." Dark Mousy leaned against the doorway in full thief regalia, calling card in hand, with the inspector and officers coughing at his feet.

THE END


	13. Locked in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; Kei could not be more unhelpful

"Your lips are getting really close to mine."

Kosuke paused in his machinations, hands latched onto the door handle and hairpin for dear life. He’d been so focused on opening the door pressing into Hiwatari’s back that the hot breath brushing against his own lips had only just begun to register as foreign. Damp. And too too close.

"J—just need another minute!" He reassured in a rush, turning his cheek and leaving it caught in the soft crossfire. There was no room to maneuver and no escape. And he thought this supplies closet was uncomfortably warm before... After the mocking door had imprisoned them both inside, the sharp stench of cleaning tools and chemicals had them breathing through their mouths for the slightest relief.

"Niwa-san," A light voice poked through the dark. "Do you know what your doing?" Each word blew more heat into his skin, already sticky with sweat. Had Hiwatari leaned closer? Kosuke thought he had. Was it his imagination? Fumes making him hallucinate?

"I—" He swallowed dryly. An uncomfortable flush rushing to his cheeks, the forerunner to his lie. "Of course I do! I’m a Ni— you know."

Click. The paperclip skidded against the lock pins yet again. Tugging one into place and leaving behind several others. How many? Kosuke didn’t know. He hoped he was doing this like Emiko taught...

"What do I know, Niwa-san?" With a response so airy, it’s a miracle Hiwatari didn’t float away. But how could he, with his lips a hair’s breadth from Kosuke’s cheek? Kosuke envisioned them spreading into an easy smile. "And why are you leaning closer to me?"

Kosuke jerked back, bumping his head into the wall but unable to stand the sticky heat smothering him anymore. His clumsy tongue finally betrayed him, just like everything else this day, "Me!? It was—! _You_ were the one—!"

"Why would I do that?" came the silky, low response against his neck this time.

"Just now!" Kosuke cried out indignantly as he tried to melt through a crack in the wall. A bucket’s rim dug into his side, denying any more passage in that direction. "You’re closer!"

A heavy— obviously feigned!— sigh found its way to him. "Focus, Niwa-san. I know you’re close," was it possible to hear a smirk? "To opening the door."


	14. Overprotective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crack; Kei saw Satoshi's magic ring

"What's that? Cat got your tongue?"

Kosuke's eyes squeezed shut until stars appeared behind them. The coughing continued until tears leaked from them and down his cheeks. When his breathing finally settled and the hot tea that had snuck into his windpipe was freed, Kosuke laid back in his chair and croaked,

"What?"

"No need to be so coy now, Niwa-san. I saw the ring." Hiwatari smiled with feline intensity, completely unperturbed by Kosuke's previous distress.

"And you think I— We— Him—!?" The older man sputtered and reached for his teacup. He held it in front of him, afraid to drink again lest more shocks take his breath away— and secretly wishing to have a shield as Hiwatari's aura grew ferocious. Like a mother lion. With sharp claws, his hands gripped the cup more tightly, desperately pretending to casually cradle it.

Where were his family to save him from this awkward conversation?

"It's not what it looks like," Kosuke offered once more.

"Don't think you can steal him away, Niwa," Hiwatari smacked that attempt to the ground. "He's not interested in you."

"And even if Satoshi was," the man continued. "You're not interested in him. Right?"

Not that Hiwatari was actually asking. _Not that he ever needed to ask that!_ Kosuke wailed inside while younger father continued to smile pleasantly, probably sharpening his claws just in case.

"It wasn't that kind of ring!!"


	15. After nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anime-manga canon fusion AU; two men were trapped in another world, when they awake...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on an AU with a friend. Kosuke and Kei end up in comas after the events of the anime. Their souls find themselves trapped in a world of nightmares, with only each other to rely on. This one shot takes place after they escape.

Stripes of golden sunlight lingered on the pages before him. A lazy hand flipped the page, not quite halfway through the book yet, and returned to hang from his seat's armrest. While he engrossed himself in the details of 18th century metalurgy, the cool skin that settled in his empty palm almost escaped detection. 

Almost, had he not instinctively gripped the long fingers.

Skin buzzed at the unfamiliar contact. He knew it, knew the other man better than anyone ever could, but this body didn't. This body had never so much as shaken the hand as pleasantries and introductions had long become unnecessary. 

Kosuke's hand soon became slick, quite unlike the dusty, scabbed skin in a world that had never been, but he still wouldn't pull away to let it dry again. Hiwatari remained unmoved, half-blanketed in blue shadows and paying no attention to the twitches that Kosuke couldn't hold back.

There was no creeping shadow to snatch them away from here— Hiwatari adjusted his grip with a quiet sigh, cupping Kosuke's hand with more warmth but not one spoken word. There were no memories to haunt either, not during waking hours anyway— Kosuke stretched his stiff fingers and willed the awkward tension to leave the right side of his body. 

Hiwatari hadn't commented on Kosuke's flushed cheeks. Nor would Kosuke mention the other man's minute tightening of fingers when he shifted positions. Had they been in another place, he knew they could have stayed like that all night. He almost hoped they could again.

But now he couldn't turn the page!


	16. Boots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene, pre-canon; during his travels

Dry, cracked fingers held fast to the map as it flapped violently. Kosuke turned, his coat shielding him from the worst of the wind. When the gust died down, he scanned the wrinkled paper quickly, searching for the one name he needed. 

There, far from the rest. A side road on the mountainside. 

Nothing that signs these days would still mention. He guessed the road itself would be long out of commission. But a dated map like his, picked up from a rundown rest stop, had a few secrets left to share.

He pulled his hood back over his head, warming his numb ears and cheeks with its rough fur. No more trucks passed as he walked around the foot of the mountain. The soles of his boots flapped with each step, reminding him of what he should have replaced weeks ago. 

But Emiko had bought them for him not long after they started dating and… well, this pair of shoes still did most of its job.

At last he found an opening in the trees. A metal barrier sat in the road with the usual warning to _Keep Out_. He crouched and slipped under the bars, walking deeper into the wooded area, slower as roots had done their work reclaiming the cracked tar. Behind him, the mountain range and city below faded from view. 

He hoped this path would be more helpful than the last lead, and with each careful step, hoped he’d come closer to going home.


	17. Arrested, in the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Kei visits his jail cell

"They're wrong about you."

The silky voice crawled out of the darkness, yanking Kosuke back into the waking world. He'd dreamt of his family again, but their comforting presences already slipped from his memory. Back to the world where he was helpless...

"You think so?" he whispered, unsure if he should respond. Not knowing if he should trust this man at all. But it had been so long since one of them believed in him.

The foggy bulb overhead barely lit the small cell that Kosuke sat up in. He squinted through the bars on the other side of his cold haven, hoping to catch a glimpse of this new voice.

"Then again, you're wrong about you too." The voice reappeared after Kosuke's awareness returned completely. Once more, louder and lilting, the stranger said, "You don't even know how little you don't know. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing."

"What if I'm not dangerous?" Kosuke had long since given up arguing about who he wasn't. Maybe he wasn't ready to give up on _what_ he wasn't.

"Why don't you want to be? It'd be an advantage," the shadowed man replied approvingly and then hardened. "You're overconfident. And yet hesitant. You go far enough to light the fuse and run before you can see the fallout. You're afraid."

Kosuke's shoulders tensed, suddenly hating being watched. Being seen. Scolded and accused. He almost wished he'd never– His eyes finally found the dark silhouette by its shiny shoes, standing a few meters away.

"Then you must be wrong about me too," Kosuke surmised, staring steadily at eyes he couldn't see. When had his heart begun to pound and his skin grown clammy? Not because of this incomprehensible man...

"I think I see things neither you nor they can. And I think I've found a solution for everyone. I won't sit back and do nothing," Kosuke said, breathing deeply to calm his nerves and turning away hide his agitated expression. Even while they seemed to close in, the wall against his back cooled his flushed skin.

The shoe tapped on the tile floor. Annoyance? Thought? For a moment Kosuke wanted to swallow his outburst. Maybe this wasn't the time. Or the safest place. He rubbed the back of his neck in apology to Emiko for slipping up again. 

"Oh, I'd never tell you to do that," the voice finally said, as if disappointed that he even needed to say such a thing. And Kosuke, at once relieved and unnerved to hear a reply, looked up again through the bars, only to see the man himself smiling through them. "I'm happy you want to help "everyone." Our wishes are the same, after all. I'd like to see more of that help in the future– if you would be so kind."

Kosuke looked at the man's pressed suit, at the locked door, and at his face, smiling with eyes that followed his every move.

It was not an offer for freedom.

But it _was_ a foot in the door of the other side. Kosuke weighed his options, feeling the responsibility press into him. Hesitant. He straightened his back and smiled. This is farther than he'd gotten with the other Hikari, and he wouldn't let the door close again. He lowered his voice,

"The charm you confiscated– give it to Hiwatari-kun."

"Why?" The man shot back instantly.

"He's dying," No change in the man's expression. So he already knew. "This lightens the toll of... Krad's... magic. A capacitor of sorts."

"Why were you holding onto it?" Kosuke tried to ignore the accusation even in the man's knowing tone and swiped invisible dust from his coarse pant legs.

"I didn't want to push him too far," was the admission; the scolding from earlier echoed in his ears.

"So you don't push at all." The man's eyes narrowed as he smirked. "Let me handle that then. I told you you were dangerous."


	18. Bracelet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Kei starts a conversation in Kokuyoku's chamber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [AMAZING fanart by hkrieg](https://hkrieg.tumblr.com/post/644201568702431232/scene-from-fugitivehues-very-good-one-shot)!!

"People like you are rare."

Kosuke’s eyes remained locked on the backs of his wife and father as they carried Daisuke and Satoshi up the winding stairs. The calm voice on the ground continued speaking, ignoring his efforts to watch his family even after the glow of their flashlights disappeared. Only the dim cinders of ancient canvas and the stench of burnt oil kept the two men company.

"Are you satisfied?" He didn’t need to look down to see the smile in those words. Kosuke’s hand gripped the metal bracelet harder; he would not be taunted into distraction, would not let everyone down. The bracelet dug hard into the soft flesh of his palm and fingers, but he had to keep it on Hiwatari’s wrist. Had to...

"Well," the other man began again. Kosuke sucked in a breath, unable to bear another word from this... whatever he was... "are yo–"

"No!" Kosuke shouted, finally turning to look Hiwatari in the eye - what little he could make out in the dark orange light emanating from Kokuyoku’s burnt remains. "How could you–"

"I might as well be honest now. It was not easy," Hiwatari tilted his head in the direction of the cinders, his black hair falling against smooth skin, smile even wider.

Kosuke held the bracelet with as much force as his aching hand could muster. His opposite hand likewise tightened around Hiwatari’s other, limp wrist. And there they would stay.

"It was inevitable the Niwa clan would attempt to interfere, but," grey eyes locked onto Kosuke’s wide brown ones. "usually you outsiders keep your distance. For obvious reasons."

For a brief moment, he imagined he could feel the hum of magic working under his fingers, holding his target in place, locking Hiwatari into the familiar form he’d worn for... longer than Kosuke could imagine. Through it all he had heard none of Dark’s last words, none of the roar of Kokuyoku brought to life, or the supposedly deafening scream as it was brought to an end. Emiko would tell him after… after the boys were safe.

Still after all this time, artworks took no interest in this regular, weak human who was so interested in them.

It was a miracle then, Kosuke thought sluggishly, willing the bracelet to use any strength within him, to do his bidding despite their unpassable barrier of "language". Yes, it was a miracle this backup of a backup plan had worked. He might have reacted too slowly to stop the ritual and save– too slowly to stop the ritual, but he still managed to lock the remaining threat within Kokuyoku’s dark, smoky chamber.

"Do you know the origins of this artwork?" Hiwatari broke through his thoughts. Kosuke’s brows furrowed and teeth clenched, turning the strange question over in his mind. He’d found it in an abandoned temple, along with one of the magic rings he’d given to help the cursed children.

"I suppose not," the other continued, "Niwas prefer to grab whatever catches their eye, don’t they?"

"I’m-" Kosuke cut his denial short. Yes, he was a Niwa... He was also a researcher, and he had nothing but time until Kokuyoku turned to ashes and darkness completely filled his vision. Getting out again was no longer a concern. All that mattered was containing the threat to his family. The threat in the skin of a casual, well-spoken young man. Noting his grip hadn’t loosened, Kosuke made his first mistake: "I don’t know. But you do?"

"I do." The other said, most pleasantly.

Kosuke huffed out a shaky laugh. Using this magic was driving him mad, surely. Why else would he– "I’d like to know, if you don’t mind... Hiwatari-san."

"Very well, why not." He cleared his throat and rolled his wrists as if settling down for a comfortable tale. "It was created during the late Edo period, using iron sand and silver, smelted and woven together. Cheaper materials than the Hikari’s usual elegance. Care to tell the class why, Niwa-san?"

The smoke stung his nose and throat. "It’s not Hikari-made." Kosuke already knew that much the moment he found it.

"Correct! Though it was made to serve the Hikari, obviously. The magic-sealing and unsealing properties within don’t decay over time, unlike seals on artworks. Instead they rely upon the user’s own will. Hikari magic isn’t effective against themselves, but with a tool created by an outsider..." Hiwatari trailed off, implication obvious. If they couldn’t suppress Krad on their own, much like Daisuke in his struggle with Dark, then they could channel their energy more effectively this way.

The light from the cinders was fading fast but the grey eyes were still clear when Kosuke made his second mistake: "How did it end up in Hokkaido if it was made for Hikari? I don’t know of any who lived in that region."

"Hokkaido, huh? It did travel far from Azumano." Hiwatari hummed appreciatively, stretching his fingers and looking towards the burnt Kokuyoku once more before continuing. "The Cultural Revolution scattered many in the Hikari household. Before the flames reached the manor, I ordered the servants to grab whichever works had not yet been hidden. What a shame to lose so many priceless works. Better than letting them burn. Or rot in the basement of thieves."

Kosuke ignored the jab. "So a servant took the bracelet?"

Hiwatari’s shoulders shifted as much as they could in a shrug. Kosuke pressed the other man’s wrists further into the ground in warning. His knees were starting to ache as they supported him on the stone floor.

"Tsk, so tense... And most likely. I was preoccupied with more important matters at the time. But the Hikari of that generation liked to have at least one in the set laying around."

How much could Kosuke learn from this man, an eye witness to the historical event that he’d dedicated over a decade to studying. The regret sank deep in his chest, heavy like a rock. If only things had been different. If only Hiwatari had been different, he corrected in his mind bitterly.

Despite the silent, cavernous chamber, their breathing sounded muted to Kosuke’s ears. Clearing his dry throat, he reached for the piece of knowledge that Hiwatari had withheld. "Since a Hikari didn’t make it, who did?"

"I’m disappointed. Are you perhaps in denial? Or less clever than I give you credit for? Here I thought you were an interesting one," Hiwatari let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Who?" Kosuke retorted, eyes squinting to see the outline of the familar face. Had he been arrogant to say he could handle this man alone? He prayed Daiki or Emiko would bring backup soon. And an extra light.

"Me, of course. The ever-helpful "outsider" of the clan, not so different from you, don’t you think? You know I was Hikari’s favorite disciple too." As if Kosuke had any way of knowing that. Knowing...

"You’re lying. If Hikari can’t use their own magic on themselves," He panted, arm shaking while tightening pressure on the bracelet to prove his point, "then how could I be using yours against you!"

"I can see that you’ve felt the effects of using this artwork. The strain of magic isn’t just physical, but mental as well."

Kosuke closed his eyes, useless in the pure darkness that had finally fallen, and struggled to parse these words. He should have never spoken...

"The human mind instinctively rejects magic. We weren’t meant to meddle with such things. Most refuse to hear the voices of artworks altogether. Every artwork has a unique voice though. It’s quite beautiful."

"You’re not making any sense!" His shoulders shook harder under his own weight. Or with stress. Kosuke didn’t know anymore.

"Hikari carry intimate knowledge of every one of their family’s creations so their minds can reject the magic more effectively, whether they want to or not."

"Myself, on the other hand... How old is this piece. How many creations came before, came after." The lilting voice spoke from the darkness below him, "It’s like when you meet an old acquaintance on the street. Through the conversation of pleasant inanities, your thoughts are actually turned inward, trying to match that face and voice with an ephemeral name."

That was Kosuke’s final mistake.

"I simply needed to jog my memory. Thank you, Niwa-san."

Hiwatari’s arms jerked out of the grip and shook off the bracelet while a blinding light of magic filled Kosuke’s vision.


	19. Name for him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene, pre-canon; Emiko will be a great mother

“How do you think this will all end?”

Kosuke had asked, hand still captured by Emiko and held against her warm, swollen belly. The soft _thump thump_ of kicking had finally settled down, unlike the shy blush painting his cheeks, yet she didn't let go. Doing this in front of her father...

He looked up at her and his heart stuttered beneath that sad gaze. Where was the delighted, proud woman from moments ago, who celebrated the ultrasounds showing once and for all their baby was a boy?

A son. A future phantom thief. Dark...

Neither listening to the training plans his wife and father-in-law often prepared nor visiting the labyrinth of artworks below their home could have made real the situation as much as his anticipated child. How could this tiny thing one day fly through the sky and tame monsters?

As if answering his silent question, the kicking resumed, strong enough to make him jump in alarm and make Emiko emit a soft "oh!". With a sideways glance, Kosuke noted that Daiki had raised the newspaper, a barrier between him and the couple. His heart clenched in gratitude while his cheeks inflamed again in the face of that man's kindness.

"I think he will be just fine," Emiko said finally, eyes closed in a smile. She rested her other hand atop Kosuke's, soft and warm like everything else around him. She was beautiful and kind and smart. He had no doubt she'd be a wonderful mother.

"What about... everything else?" he pressed, loathe to spoil the moment but desperate for answers. It would always be his weakness, apparently. She bowed her head, red hair tickling Kosuke's face. 

Soon...

Soon he would leave.

They had made arrangements. Plans. Decided on locations and important sites to search. Asked around for payphone locations, post offices, any way to stay in contact. Once he left the country, who knew how long he would be gone?

"If our Dai-chan is alright, what else matters?" She patted Kosuke's hand and released it from her grasp. The loss was immediate; cold air filled the gap between them. He pulled away from her belly at the sight of her face, smiling more confidently now, compensating for the uncertainty that twisted in his brows and the weak smile that he tried to return.

" _Dai-chan?_ You're carrying on that tradition after all?" Daiki piped up, stealing both of their surprised attention. Fluffy grey eyebrows and red eyes peered over the top of the newspaper.

"Of course! A phantom thief needs a great name!"

Kosuke chuckled. Emiko had proposed potential names for their son long before their wedding. Every single one started with the kanji for "great".

"Which did you choose in the end, Emiko-san?" He still knelt in front of her. He should probably stand up.

Just a little longer though, in this moment...

"Daisuke." Her proud red eyes turned to him again, holding him in place without a single touch. "Just like his father, I'll be counting on his help!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kosuke" means "small help" and "Daisuke" means "great help".


	20. Her other self, part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Emiko's Dark

Of all the times to forget what he was supposed to do!

The chattering crowd pressed against him on all sides, making the summer heat positively boiling. Not many seemed to mind; their eager eyes turned upwards, waiting for the man of the hour to make his dramatic appearance. Yellow police tape separated them from the nervous officers, clutching their radios and holding their breath like everyone else.

Only one head of spiky black hair looked down. Kosuke searched his empty pockets for any clue about his role in tonight's heist. Emiko and her father wouldn't have sent him out here without a plan.

The mass of people let out a roar of cheers. Dark was here already!?

Kosuke pushed his way to the side of the crowd, only taking one elbow to the face in the process, and took in a clearer view of the museum lawn where some officers remained outside, possibly waiting to catch Dark during his escape. Rounding the side of the building, he saw more, as well as flash of black over by...

"Hey you! Stop!"

Kosuke let go of the police tape he'd crawled under and ran towards the building, eyes finally looking up to where he knew the thief had climbed out a darkened window. Dark's black wings seemed to be struggling to get any lift; any second now, he'd fall to the ground and be a sitting duck. If the officers' flashlights didn't reveal him first. 

Three uniformed men stood before him, blinding flashlights pointed at Kosuke's face. He could see the light of two others from behind. They grabbed his arms and dragged him back towards the police tape.

"Ah! I'm so sorry! I just wanted to get a better look! G—guess I got lost!" He tried to smile, raising his shaking hands and praying they couldn't hear his heart pounding. Just a regular guy from the crowd who got too excited. Please don't turn around. Please ignore Dark crawling in the bushes along the museum.

Kosuke stumbled away, legs turned to jelly by the relief, once they had returned him to the "civilian" area and let him go with a harsh warning. He held a hand to his chest as he walked, fingers gripping the fabric of his loose t-shirt once or twice. That had been a close call for Daisuke! And himself.

But it was his fault he'd forgotten what to do and screwed things up in the first place. 

Kosuke glanced behind and around him. No officers in pursuit, mercifully. No landmarks that rang a bell either. Azumano was a labyrinth of a district in Tokyo, and wandering into unexplored territory wasn't unheard of. Yet he thought he should at least recognize the areas around museums...

Stopping under a streetlight and looking ridiculously lost, Kosuke glanced around him once more as if the unfamiliar signs and buildings would confess the route home. Before he could continue, a black figure jumped from above, landing silently on the concrete sidewalk and stealing an alarmed shout from Kosuke.

"Dark! Where did you—" A gloved figure covered his mouth.

"Geez, could you be any louder?"

Dark could imitate any voice he wanted, even a feminine one like this, but the hand on his face was surprisingly small.

Kosuke nodded, mutely promising to be quieter. The figure waited a couple seconds, probably not trusting those curious brown eyes, before backing up. Under the light of a white streetlight stood a tall smear of black. 

"Emiko-san!?"

The figure's red eyes widened. Before he could blink, she had dragged him into a nearby alley and released him just as suddenly, catching his arm with a sigh before he fell into a puddle. Once he seemed to fully regain his balance, the tight grip on his arm disappeared, and Kosuke resisted the urge to rub the dull ache left behind.

"You got it right the first time, genius. No need to keep guessing." A proud grin spread across "Dark's" lips.

Those sparkling red eyes, an uncommon color around here—in fact, he'd never seen anyone but his own family members with it—had looked overly familiar under the streetlight, but the dim alley illuminated just enough to take in the rest of her.

Save for the eyes, she looked nothing like Emiko. Her hair was long and straight, dark strands trailing loosely down her back. The woman's face was slimmer as well, with sharp cheekbones Emiko could only emulate through her more time-intensive disguises.

Maybe this was one of her disguises to distract the police from Daisuke? His hand touched his chin in thought; that didn't make sense.

But she still reminded him of Emiko and not at all.

A shiny black coat covered her shoulders, held together by a shinier chain on the front, with the sleeves loosely flying at her sides. Black gloves covered her hands, but her thin, muscular arms remained bare. A tight shirt hemmed with lace barely supported her big—

Kosuke jerked his eyes away, cheeks on fire.

Enough staring! He was a married man!

"Got nothing to say now?" She leaned closer, and he stepped back, sweating again from the summer heat. Probably.

"E—Excuse me! I mistook you for someone else! I should go... now," he answered with a shaking finger pointing towards the alley's exit.

"Really? Don't get all shy. You seemed more than a little interested in me earlier." Gloved fingers tapped the statue under her arm, a reminder of his antics at the heist.

Kosuke couldn't even begin to find an acceptable way to explain he'd mistaken her for his son.

"I was lost." His stiff shrug and wincing eyes did nothing to impress the thief.

Dark looked up at the stars and back down at him, eyebrows nearly disappearing into her hairline with flat disbelief. But Kosuke kept his lips shut, knowing from experience, a lot of it, that more words would just make his pathetic lies worse.

"Sure," she smiled eventually, a wide, feline thing. "Try not to get lost on your way home!" With that she disappeared into the sky, leaving a flurry of black feathers in her wake.

He fanned one of the tickling things out of his face as he watched the mysterious woman fly away, his mouth open in silent awe. He'd seen Daisuke and Dark fly many times, even did it himself once with With; the former memories were much more enjoyable than the latter. It was a sight he enjoyed from the ground, evidence of the ancient magic in the Niwas' blood.

Down the empty streets, Kosuke continued to turn the strange encounter with this new Dark over in his mind.

He got lost after all.

With no money for a payphone to call his wife or father, Kosuke settled for a secluded bench under a tree in the park. It was nostalgic, he thought as he laid down on the hard, bumpy wood. At least the season kept the nights warm, albeit stickily humid.

Over a decade of travels had made sleeping outdoors a common occurrence for him, and yet less than two years at home seemed to have already spoiled him. As he closed his eyes, he prayed he'd wake up and see Emiko sleeping beside him in their bed again.

Morning brought with it dew and a clearer head instead.

He shook the moisture out of his hair. A couple leaves and a twig fell out as well.

Kosuke wandered around town wearing the same clothes as the day before and wishing he could bathe. At least he wasn't too hungry; the previous day's excitement must have killed any appetite.

Azumano's streets were timeless, a testament to the artistic traditions that built it centuries ago. The people, however... Kosuke scanned the buildings that he passed, recognizing only half of the businesses. Half of those he vaguely remembered seeing once, before he'd ever left the country.

The sound of running behind him shattered any focus. At a dozen or so " _Niwa-san!_ "s he whipped his head around in terror, just in time to see Emiko latch onto his arm with a hushed "Quick, pretend you're my boyfriend!"

The group of men shouting and calling their name nearly shoved each other out of the way to reach the couple first. Anything else they said was buried by their own din.

This seemed vaguely familiar too...

"I already told you all, I have a boyfriend!" Emiko spoke loud enough to reach their ears and sweetly enough to hold their devoted attention. Her arm wrapped tighter around Kosuke's for emphasis. "I'm sure you'll find someone else that's right for you. Bye!"

With one last dazzling wave—causing a chorus of lovestruck sighs—she dragged a stunned Kosuke down the street and away from the commotion. He finally looked at her, the bouncing red hair from her college days spilling over her shoulders. She wore a smart skirt that swished around her knees.

This was like... the first time they met.

Except there was no train station. And Dark was a gorgeous woman who dragged Kosuke into alleyways.

Could Dark actually be...?

Emiko still clung to his arm and weaved with him around fellow pedestrians on the sidewalk. He tried to focus each step and not his unkempt appearance or the warm tingling running up his limb... especially not the jealous eyes that stabbed daggers into his back.

After they rounded a corner and escaped the sight of her pursuers, she released him with chuckled thanks. Finally he could let out his own breath; no one else would ogle the strange couple's display of affection. Even as his racing heart began to settle, he rolled his now-freed wrist with no small amount of regret.

He'd missed Emiko.

He still missed _his_ Emiko.

But maybe this one could explain what the hell had happened to him! His mind had already run through the possibilities from artwork malfunctions to head injuries, but he could use an expert's opinion.

"Emiko-san, why are you—"

"You know," she interrupted, nose lifted into the air as she walked briskly beside him. "We've never met before, but you're being pretty forward with me." Her serious red eyes met his surprised brown ones.

Kosuke tripped on a raised slab in the sidewalk, probably drawing back the attention of nosy passersby. Nervous energy bubbled from head to toe. "Please excuse me! I didn't mean to— I apologize, Niwa-san."

Emiko's face cracked into a bright smile, as breathtaking as ever but younger than he'd seen in a long time, "Tell me your name, and I might forgive you."

"Ni-" Her brows raised. Shit. That was a strong habit. "Kosuke. My name is Kosuke."

"Kosuke-san." She tested the name, finger on her lips in thought. His heart stung, remembering their real first meeting. He'd stumbled his way through that too, more shy than accidentally rude.

"I changed my mind; you can call me _Emiko-san_!"

Kosuke nodded, his throat unusually tight. He didn't know how else to respond. This wasn't whom he hoped to find. And yet this was Emiko, without a doubt.

"Don't tell my boyfriend about earlier, by the way!" she said with a conspiratorial wink.

_Boyfriend!?_

"I—" Kosuke coughed into a fist and let his eyes explore the street they walked down. People filtered in and out of shops, walking down the street hand in hand or bumping past each other in a rush. Azumano on the weekend brimmed with energy. More than a few conversations weighed in on Dark's heist last night. "I didn't know you actually had a boyfriend."

He wondered if the other man had been waiting to meet her when the crowd took chase. He wondered what he was like. How did they meet? Had he promised to father her phantom thief son?

But it wasn't his place to pry. And it probably wouldn't help the cold weight sinking from his throat to his stomach.

He and Emiko were strangers now. Somehow. Of course she'd find someone else.

No questions were necessary as she seemed more than happy to rave about her boyfriend anyway.

He was a great catch, she explained. Handsome and the youngest of four brothers. He was doting but gave her plenty of space. And being a taken woman meant other suitors wouldn't bother her... as much!

Her hands waved in excitement as she described their latest date on a ferry. He'd gone all out for a romantic dinner on the water. He clearly made her happy.

"Are you alright?" Curiosity replaced that happiness when she looked at him, and his shoulders dropped with guilt. _Get it together, man._

"Yes, sorry. I was wondering..." Should he really ask it? Here? He'd spent a good chunk of the previous night burning with questions, and she had just raised a few more. If she really was the current Niwa heiress... "Does he know? About you and... uh..."

"Who?" She tilted her head, wavy hair flowing along with the movement.

Men and women on the sidewalk paused to look at the beautiful redhead walking past them. Kosuke ducked his head and leaned forward to whisper the thief's name in her ear. He still hadn't gotten used to the attention his wife attracted. Well, not his wife anymore...

Kosuke pulled away, his face's color the same as her hair, aware too late that he stood far too close to a woman who was _not his wife_.

"Sorry, that wasn't— Please excuse me again." He apologized a lot lately, didn't he?

Eyes that had once been innocently wide narrowed to match her sharp smirk. They approached at the next intersection in silence, where at once she turned onto a street with fewer people. Boxes replaced pedestrians in front of late-night noodle restaurants whose lights waited until evening for hungry salarymen. And perhaps phantom thieves.

"He doesn't know," she said matter-of-factly, eyes closed and nose raised in the air again.

"You're not going to deny it?" Kosuke gaped. Their son denied being Dark to the moon and back with everyone he met!

At that thought, his heart ached again. He missed someone who didn't even exist here...

"Why should I? It's not like anyone who matters would believe you." She wasn't wrong.

"Do you plan to tell him?"

"Is that really any of your business?" A red eyebrow raised again. "Do you interrogate every woman you meet?"

His two hands raised in front of him, and Kosuke almost apologized once more but she cut him off with a laugh. With a couple skips, she moved ahead and twirled around, hair bouncing along a second later. The hot sunlight caught the red waves, sparkling almost orange.

Emiko continued walking backwards so Kosuke continued forward, glancing ahead in case he needed to warn her of curbs or other obstacles on the sidewalk. She easily hopped around or over them before he could open his mouth. She was showing off and it was working.

"If I tell him, I can't be Dark anymore," she answered his previous question and stuffed her hands into her skirt's pockets.

"Because he might accept both of you?" Kosuke knew that Daiki had missed Dark when he left, but he had assumed it was something inevitable if not desirable.

"Not only that. He probably would though." Pink lips split into a happy smile. "On the off-chance that he doesn't accept, how else will I become Dark?"

"Can't you find someone new?" He cringed at his quick question. It wasn't like he was hoping to sweep in for the rebound—

"Oh? Are you volunteering, Kosuke-san?"

 _It really wasn't like that!_ He slapped his forehead while she pointed at his flushed cheeks and laughed. 

Kosuke raised his searching eyes to the blue sky before returning them to her. One more thing. "I thought only men in the Niwa clan could become," he lowered his voice, "Dark?" She might not mind, but he was unused to discussing the family curse in the open air.

"You seem to know a lot about this." Her gaze took on a familiar shrewdness, the look she often wore when planning for the next heist or designing trap blueprints.

"I—" Kosuke stammered. He had been overly comfortable around her from the start, too used to relying on her shrewdness, not outmaneuvering it. "I'm just a researcher." It was his turn to shove his hands into his pockets.

Emiko hopped over to walk beside him again, leaning to see his down-turned face.

"Don't worry so much. I said it didn't matter." She winked. "Besides, you obviously don't know everything. Ladies make just as good thieves as the gentlemen!"

They reached the next intersection too soon, and Emiko bid him another dazzling goodbye while his head was still spinning with new information.

This wasn't exactly the world he remembered. Kosuke glanced around. This part of town wasn't what he remembered either.

By the time he found his way back to the park, the sun had begun to set. Kosuke settled on a bench in a different wooded area, hoping no policeman would find him tonight either.

Another warm night turned into another warm morning.


	21. Her other self, part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Emiko's Dark

Kosuke didn't know how he lucked out—chalk it up to the odd jobs a researcher sometimes does for information in remote towns—but he found work and an apartment to stay in. Nothing fancy or spacious, a mere 4.5-tatami room, but there'd be no more beetles crawling up his shirt in the dead of night!

One advanced paycheck later, and he put food in his stomach for the first time in days. The bland steamed buns might as well have been a gourmet meal.

With a sigh of relief, he ran a hand through his newly-washed hair and put on a green apron. This shop owner deserved the best shelver he could be after so generously hiring him under the table. Going to Emiko's house and explaining the situation to her and her father was out of the question, but having no ID put most sources of income out of reach.

This small international grocery, wedged between a ramen shop and a sign-maker's business, was packed to the ceiling with colorful goods in dozens of languages he recognized but mostly couldn't read. Boxes filled the cramped aisles and nearly covered the lights on the ceiling, adding up to a hot and, most importantly, private atmosphere.

Kosuke had to admit, being only a street away from a museum was a huge plus as well.

Maybe he could ask an artwork in there for help. Or he could learn more about pieces that had been "disposed of" or left the country before his research for Daisuke had begun. If he ever returned home, this information could be useful!

As he cut open boxes and pulled out various bags of dried noodles, heavier thoughts nagged at him. What if he never returned home? What should he do about Emiko and Phantom Thief Dark? Did he need to do anything? She was happy here. Wasn't it better to live her dream like this, instead of devoting herself to finding a husband and raising a son to live it instead?

The plastic bags crunched and crinkled as he aligned them by shape and ingredients. He understood why she had worked so hard to raise Daisuke to be a thief. On their third date, she'd told him tales of her father's exploits, magic blood, and the sudden loss of her mother. He'd given her a handkerchief again, this time to wipe her eyes.

Niwa Emiko never cried tears of sadness; tears of joy, yes, she was a fountain of joy, but nothing could bring this talented beauty down— Or so he had heard adoring young men sigh in train stations she frequented.

Crying beside him on a park bench, she looked nothing like the unreachable mystery he'd admired for over a year. Niwa Emiko had reasons and dreams of her own, as well as a heart that reached out to help others even when it couldn't help itself. Maybe it was then he knew for sure he wanted to marry her.

How could he have resisted? She was brilliant and kind, often ridiculous with her over-the-top antics, but also awe-inspiring and sometimes frightening. He had wanted to spend his life uncovering every side of this surprising woman.

Kosuke cut another box, this one filled with shiny tins of strange teas and their strong odors. If a customer walked past, they might laugh at the sappy smile on this shelver's face. He remembered how proud their son made her each time he avoided deadly traps or brought home a treasure.

He missed his family with a piercing ache that grew each time he woke. It was his years of traveling all over again, but this time there was no easy road home. No Emiko waiting for him either. And yet...

And yet.

The boxy television by the cash register crackled out news from an excited journalist. Phantom Thief Dark announced her next target! Police were already preparing for the 9 PM heist! The latest artwork to catch her eye seemed to be—

Kosuke started and hid when the shop owner spotted him peering around the corner of his aisle, trying to catch a glimpse of the television screen. 

He plunged into the next box with gusto, fighting back a guilty blush at being caught slacking. His ears reached for any information over the noisy bags of sweets in his hands.

Dark would be in the Lagalith Museum tonight! Just a street away!

The rest of the day passed in a haze, with endless restocking as waves of customers shopped. He'd only mistakenly pointed someone to the wrong aisle twice. Like a library, every product had a proper place; he just had to learn where.

Hanging his apron on a hook in the back room and thanking the shop owner, Kosuke stepped out of the building without a plan.

Emiko—no, Dark's heist wouldn't start for another hour. His stomach wasn't thrilled by the idea of dinner, but why? She was a professional thief, she'd be fine! Did he just want to see her again? What would he say?

His traitorous feet brought him to the yellow police tape in front of the building. A sizable crowd of journalists and Dark's most dedicated fans had already formed. He thought he saw a woman in plainclothes with long blue hair among the officers at the entrance of the museum, but the people shoving around him were too big a distraction.

In the end, Kosuke didn't speak with Dark.

He sweated along with the rest of the civilians, watching in awe as the sleek black figure flew through the sky on magnificent wings. He smiled, impressed as always, when she disappeared from sight. He held his breath when alarm bells rang out within the museum, imagining Dark dashing around and over officers, laughing triumphantly as she juggled a priceless vase between her gloved hands before escaping from a balcony into the night sky. All that remained of her visit was a confetti of black feathers over the area. 

Kosuke stared up at the dark blue, stars invisible with all the searchlights around, long after the rest of the crowd dispersed. The excitement of the night's event thrummed in his veins as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. All the while, one thought replayed in his mind: Emiko was a phantom thief!

A damn good one.

Aside from the night he first met Emiko's Dark, she handled each heist masterfully, mocking the desperate security guards that always grabbed too slowly.

Each night he visited a different museum to watch her fly. Some close enough to his side of town to walk to, while for others he'd hop on a train and arrive halfway to the end.

He didn't know how, but Emiko found his workplace throughout this. She stopped by to browse, sometimes in disguise—and who would have guessed? A heist at the Lagalith Museum was announced later that day!—and stayed to talk. She would hold up any bottle of sauce or snack and teasingly ask him to translate or recommend one. If his boss minded at first, it was quickly smoothed over by Emiko's sweet flattery and shining personality.

Kosuke suspected her beauty brought in more customers too, but he kept that theory to himself.

She always left with an energetic wave and a stunning smile. Sometimes she threw him a wink and a " _See you later!_ ". His own waving hand lingered in the air afterwards, dizzied by the speed with which this woman came and went.

More than a few customers asked if she was single or, more disbelievingly, dating him. Kosuke had to explain each time that she was taken, but not by him. He wondered when she'd introduce him to her boyfriend but didn't look forward to it and didn't ask. The shelves ended up organized to perfection on days with those wonderings.

After a day with no visit from Emiko, Kosuke slowly hung up his apron and walked into the summer air. Orange light from the setting sun cast deep blue shadows on half the street. He sought some relief from the endless heat in them. As he stepped down the curb to cross the intersection to his apartment, a strong hand dragged him sideways.

"Emiko got _a bit too_ flustered earlier so it's my turn to have fun."

"Da **—"** Her hand covered his mouth, the soft skin, with a few callouses on the fingertips, pressed into his suddenly already overwarm face. Kosuke reviewed the turn of events in his swirling mind.

Emiko had mentioned going out somewhere with her boyfriend this week... Ah. Kosuke wasn't sure how to feel about her date being interrupted by the Niwa love genes.

He jumped back and she lifted her hands into the air with a gentle smile. Making peace?

"You got some place to be?" He tilted her head to the side, loose black hair following in a silk wave. She almost looked out of place in Emiko's bright clothes and a cutesy purse covered in rabbit keychains dangling from her arm.

"No, I just..." Why was it so hard to speak to this woman? She was Emiko, wasn't she? Or a part of her... "I was just going home."

He bowed and started to turn around, heart rate still not settled after the exciting abduction by the thief.

"And what, you can't talk to me first?" Her lean arms crossed under her breasts, which were slightly too big for her flowery dress and— and _anyway_ —

Kosuke shook his head, eyes flitting up and down the street in case they caused a scene. It was mostly deserted. "No. I— I mean, yes, I can talk! Is here okay? Ah, or should we..."

She rested her weight on one leg, the hem of her dress swinging around her bare knees, and said nothing when he trailed off. Kosuke rubbed the back of his neck, uncomfortable with the scrutiny... and everything else about this situation.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked lamely, losing out to her mocking patience.

"You pick!" Dark rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You show up at every one of my heists, but when I finally give you the time of day, you run away! What's your deal?"

Why _did_ he go to all her heists?

On days when he didn't participate, Kosuke had been content to watch Daisuke's criminal activities from the couch with his father-in-law. He knew Daisuke and Dark were an incredible team, but—call it fatherly instinct—he'd spent each of their heists wondering if this would be the night it all went wrong. His family could take care of themselves and had backup plans for everything; _he knew that_ , but he worried all the while, useless on the couch.

He didn't worry about this Dark in front of him, on the other hand. She'd proven to be an amazing thief. So why?

"I'm not sure," Kosuke said, feeling more and more foolish.

"Maybe you were hoping to see _me_ again?" Her predatory grin moving closer would have made Kosuke flush if blood weren't already draining out of his face. Emiko could be listening to their conversation!

Dark must have figured out his feelings for Emiko. What if she told? Would that ruin the strange friendship they'd built?

Was there really no chance for something more? He managed to marry her in one lifetime already!

Another question replaced those, and Kosuke opened his mouth, hand hovering over his chin as he stared at Dark.

"What, Kosuke?" The name—his own wife had never said it so bluntly—broke the spell.

"Da— Sorry, uh, Miss?" From the corner of his eye, Kosuke watched a delivery boy on a bike ride past them on the street. "Why did you come here instead of staying with Emiko's boyfriend? Shouldn't you like him too?"

"She wasn't kidding when she said you were nosy as hell." _She said that!?_

That was an imprudent question anyway. Kosuke's hand rose and combed through his sticky hair. His apartment wouldn't be much cooler than the shade they stood in.

"Would you mind taking a walk with me? There's a great park nearby."

"If you promise to never call me _Miss_ again _._ Go ahead and use my name if you have to."

Dark latched onto his arm and told him to lead the way, but with her fast pace, he swore the roles were reversed. As far as directions went, he'd point and say " _We turn th—_ " and she swiftly pulled him that way.

Besides those words, they didn't talk during the journey. Dark wore a playful smile the entire time, and said nothing along the way. She was the opposite of Emiko's talkative sunniness, which was always ready to share a story or make small talk. As for him, he'd stuck his foot in his mouth enough today and kept it closed.

Kosuke eventually lost the blush spurred by Dark's body pressed against him. Once or twice he'd tried to subtly reclaim his stolen arm, but she didn't notice or didn't care. 

"This is it?" she asked as they stepped onto the walkway that split the grass. "It doesn't look _that_ great." The sun had only just set, covering everything from bushes to benches in darkening blue light.

"I come here a lot to think," Kosuke admitted. "I like how peaceful it is at night."

"Don't you spend enough time in your head as it is?" Dark teased, softly knocking his head with a fist. Kosuke laughed quietly, surprising himself.

"Probably. But it's what I'm best at." Reading, recalling information, taking notes, connecting dots. It had taken over fourteen years, but he could say he'd honed those skills at least.

Dark let go, stretching her long arms over her head. The fresh air on his own was chilly compared to the furnace of body heat from before.

They walked side by side in the growing darkness.

"What do you think about me?" She broke the silence sometime later.

Kosuke looked ahead, as far as he could see through the scattered trees. "... I don't know," he admitted again. He still didn't know how he felt about Daisuke's Dark. He was there. He was a mystery. He was a member of the family.

_And she was...?_

"Okay, well, this was an exciting date. I'm off to do something even more daring, like color-coding Emiko's socks! See you!" With popped out of her purse and transformed into huge black wings. Before Kosuke could say goodbye, the thief and rabbit lifted off into the sky, leaving him with nothing but an empty park.


	22. Her other self, part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Emiko's Dark

After the confusing conversation with Dark, Kosuke mentioned his interest in researching artworks to Emiko on her next visit, offering to gather information on any pieces she owned or was interested in. She snickered and thanked him but did mention a painting she'd had her eye on. No special reason, she just wanted it. 

That was enough for him. Kosuke buried himself in books in the various libraries around town, filling notebooks with information on each of Emiko's targets over the weeks.

Sometimes she snuck through the open window of his stuffy apartment to watch, catching the falling books from a tower he'd bumped into out of shock.

"You could use a bigger place to live."

"It's just me so it's fine." He reassured her each time.

He didn't mind, really.

In his heart, he was actually being rather selfish. Because, alone or not, it felt like home to help the Niwa family again. When he lost himself in the texts and histories, he could forget that this wasn't his old life anymore. The extra time with Emiko was a bonus he'd never turn down.

Sometimes he wondered if Emiko's boyfriend knew where she spent her time. Sometimes he wondered what the neighbors thought of the strange woman's voice that laughed and told loud stories in his room at all hours of the night, but whose owner was never seen walking in or out of a door.

Once, Emiko climbed through his window with her arms full of grocery bags. Paying no mind to his insistence that she was _his_ guest to feed, she cooked them both dinner with a declaration that she needed the practice and he made a good guinea pig.

"So? How does it taste?"

They had spread his futon onto the floor and sat on it, plates in their laps for lack of a table or chairs. Kosuke's bamboo chopsticks poked at the overcooked chunks of meat and unevenly chopped vegetables. She wasn't kidding when she said she needed practice. Thieving must take up a lot of time that had been devoted to other hobbies, in another life.

But familiar flavors lingered on his tongue, red pepper and a hint of honey. He remembered many meals at home with these, and it was at once so dear and nostalgic, he could only nod.

"Come on, I need more than that!" Emiko nudged him with her elbow, dabbing her sweaty face with a towel at the same time. Even with an open window, two bodies and a countertop stove made a lot of heat in this small room!

Kosuke swallowed and found his voice, "I like it. Thank you, Emiko-san." He meant it.

She raised her arms in victory, laughing and promising to bring more food, completely ignoring any and all polite refusals.

Sometimes Dark visited instead of Emiko, usually waiting for him to return from watching her latest heist. She'd proudly tell him how it all went down inside the museum with the police, answering his questions or scoffing at the simplicity of them, but smiling all the while.

And that was how the three of them spent their summer.

On one clear evening, he cut through his usual park on the way home from a heist.

This one had gone on later than usual, something about a new security system by a special commander, and his feet ached with each step. Kosuke flopped down onto the park bench in a wooded area, remembering the night he'd spent there earlier in the season. A lot had happened since then.

The shop owner and frequent customers were kind to him. They often invited him out for drinks, which he occasionally accepted. The bulk of his free time went into researching or chatting with Emiko and Dark. It wasn't bad. In fact, he always looked forward to the days when he'd see one or the other.

He titled his head back, resting it on the cool wood and staring at the sparkling stars.

But were his son, father-in-law, and _his_ Emiko out there? Would he ever see them again? He'd found nothing in the museums or libraries to explain his situation. Every lead quickly hit a dead end.

This really might become his new, permanent life.

Kosuke closed his stinging eyes.

_And what then?_

"What are you thinking about now?"

Kosuke's eyes flew open and then slammed shut, not expecting the bright sunlight that blinded them. His neck cracked and twinged with each movement as he lifted it from the hard bench. A numb hand clumsily rubbed his eyes.

When he finally stopped blinking, Emiko's curious face came into view.

"Emiko-san! Why are you here?"

"You weren't at the shop or apartment so it had to be the park." The shop..! He must be late for work!

"Did you spend the night here?" She chuckled softly and pulled a leaf out of his spiky hair. Apparently he had.

"Not intentionally..." Kosuke rubbed his sore neck. He shakily stood, taking a few steps forward before turning around to look at her.

Niwa Emiko.

Her wild red hair spilled over her shoulders as usual, shining brighter amongst the blue sky and green vegetation. Hands in pockets, she amusedly watched him smooth his wrinkled shirt and gather his wits.

His heart pounded in his chest, not entirely from the sudden awakening. Work could wait. He'd thought enough last night and all the weeks before. Maybe some of that Niwa bravery had finally rubbed off on him?

"Emiko-san, please go out with me!"

Despite his inner monologue, it wasn't an impressive or dramatic confession by any means. Children and friends and dogs carried on in the park, making noise all the while. Trees gave them some semblance of privacy at least.

"Kosuke-san, you know I'm already seeing someone..." It must grow tiring, having this same conversation with so many men. And he proved to be no better than them. No, worse than them; she'd shared her secrets with him, and look at what he ended up doing anyway.

Emiko herself didn't look terribly disappointed at least. She looked...

"I know." Kosuke couldn't meet her warm gaze anymore as guilt and resolve warred inside. "And I know how important being Dark is to you. I don't want to change who you are or take her away.

"But... being part of your life is important to me too." His words were quiet and steady. "I don't want to give that up either."

She kept silent. But there was no taking it back now.

Slowly, he raised his heavy eyes and saw that Emiko had been replaced.

"You've got nerve! So you just waltz over, say a few sweet lines, and take whoever you want?" Dark drawled, tossing her long, dark hair over her shoulder. A breeze picked up, sailing through the grass and trees, mussing their hair further.

Kosuke stared at the beautiful thief, his surprised face gradually becoming earnest again. He'd said his piece. He wanted to share his life with Emiko again. All of her.

"No wonder we picked you," she continued with a tilt of her head, looking him up and down with sparkling red eyes and an appreciative grin. "Niwa Kosuke."

"You—huh?" Kosuke's coherence slipped away along with any idea of what was happening.

Why did she—

—

Kosuke opened his eyes in a dark room, listening to the quiet breathing beside him for several seconds before he looked down.

And screamed.

He kicked haphazardly at the strange striped beast sitting on the foot of his bed. It jumped and landed beside him, spinning into a triumphant pose before rolling onto half of his pillow.

"Haha! Not nearly as fast as your _Dai-chan_!" Baku, the latest artwork to join their family, stretched his front hooves high and dared Kosuke to try again.

Kosuke pulled the tangled sheets back over his legs, hands shaking along to his pounding heart. Just when he thought he'd adapted to life in the Niwa home, something new arrived to make everything ridiculous again.

Wide brown eyes scanned once more the room lit by pale slivers of moon and streetlight, as if the park and Dark were hiding in a corner, rather than in... a dream?

Emiko poked the tapir's squishy belly and tiredly scolded, "Be nice." Baku miraculously settled down with only a roll of his uncovered eye.

"Sorry to wake you, Emiko-san." Kosuke rubbed a hand over his face and sighed in relief. Despite its shocks, it was good to be home.

"Don't worry about it, dear." He was all too aware of the unwelcome guest nestled between them, listening to every word. "It was time to wake up anyway."

"But it's not yet 5 AM..." Kosuke spied the digital clock on her nightstand through his fingers. Even his dedicated wife didn't get up this early to set traps... as far as he knew.

"It felt longer than one night, right? Dreams are amazing!" She laid a hand on her cheek and sighed wistfully, "And that's what it feels like to fly. You never said it was so freeing!"

Kosuke shuddered at the reminder of his flight with With a couple weeks ago. " _Freeing_ would be the last word I use to describe— Wait, you...? I also had a dream that you flew!"

Baku broke in, "It was the lady's dream, bub. A damn tasty one too. But you went and stuck your head in where it didn't belong." At that, Emiko tapped the tapir's head and shooed him away. He hopped over Kosuke's legs onto the floor and sauntered out the cracked door, swinging it open completely with his rump.

Kosuke waited until the sound of foot-(hoof?)-steps disappeared down the hall. "I must have spoiled your time as Dark... If I had known, I wouldn't have..." What? Tried to win her back? Spoken to her at all?

She deserved to enjoy her time as a phantom thief, at the very least. He bowed his head in apology. He could have also enjoyed her happiness from afar.

Thin fingers lifted his chin, and he stared down at her warm eyes, still heavy with the last remnants of sleep. "Oh, Kosuke-san, you didn't understand? I had fun! Being Dark was even better than I had imagined it to be. I'll thank Baku in the morning for his prank, just this once." Good dream or not, Kosuke was already considering locking their bedroom door to keep out future late-night visitors.

"I have to thank you too," she went on. Her smile softened at his confused expression. Those fingers reached further to the back of his head and pulled his face closer to hers. "My dream wouldn't have been complete without you there." Public or private, her frank affection never failed to make him blush.

Kosuke remembered their adventure with strange clarity: the amazing phantom thief flying above, their chance meetings and conversations, time with his then-not-wife, an impulsive confession his younger self couldn't have dreamed of making. Dark's words echoed in his ears.

Ah.

He finally understood his role.

He rubbed his neck, hand stopping over where hers still rested. Kosuke shyly returned her smile.

"My Kosuke-san played the best sacred maiden."

Her delighted laughter drowned out his embarrassed " _Emiko-san!_ ". For a moment Kosuke swore there was long, dark hair framing his wife's cheeky grin. But only a moment, and then she pulled him into a kiss.

THE END


	23. Food for thought

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Kosuke talks with Satoshi in a museum

“When was the last time you ate anything?”

He should be used to strange things by now.

But Niwa Kosuke had still clung to the hope that his weekly rounds to the various Azumano museums had some semblance of normalcy. He could just overlook the true reason for his visit: the magical artworks scattered throughout, humming with life as they silently listened to the chatter of visitors and watched him scribble notes into spiral books. Only they knew his quick glances at them and the quiet mutters he made as he sharpened his pencil with a small blade before resuming scrawling.

He still clung to the hope that he'd get reaction from one some day. He wanted to understand them. Kosuke actually couldn't overlook this part of his life much at all.

Maybe it was for the best that he couldn't hear them laughing.

He passed a familiar shiny statue of a winged beast wrapped in floating cloths as he left his current area, having collected all necessary information about the newest Hikari arrivals.

One could have at least warned him before he wandered down a back hallway, taking a shortcut to the pre-Revolution section, about the collapsed teen he'd find. It was strange, alright. And distressing.

"Don't touch me," Satoshi said, face still covered by one hand as he lifted himself off the cold tiled floor into a sitting position, back against the plaster walls. Kosuke's hands stopped just as they hovered over his thin shoulders, to steady or comfort or— "I'm fine, you don't need to worry."

Daisuke's bright complexion and lean build came to Kosuke's mind, contrasting the pale, wheezing teen here, short blue hair clinging to a layer of sweat on his forehead. Hiwatari Satoshi had always looked willowy, and his unusual height for his age did its best to contribute to that. Without the cold, professional demeanor to ward off concerned adults and classmates, Satoshi looked... unwell.

"Are you hungry?" Kosuke knew there were other reasons for Hikari to be sick, but he hadn't yet found a solution for that. He couldn't leave him on the floor like this though.

"I'm fine," Satoshi repeated briskly.

Kosuke still crouched in front of the teen but kept his hands away. The worn brown bag slung over his shoulder dragged on the ground, and he fished inside for a few stray yen. By the time he stopped pulling out crumpled museum ticket stubs from the past few... months... and actually found money, the teen was watching him with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry, I was just going to..." Kosuke started, the silent observer making him all too aware of his jerky movements. Those dark blue eyes were nothing like the empty marble or flat paintings; they belonged to a living, breathing, _observing_ audience. 

Satoshi looked away first, much to Kosuke's relief. The boy covered his face again with his hand though, which evaporated any of Kosuke's relief.

"I'll be right back!" Kosuke leapt to his feet, legs tingling as blood returned to them after crouching. He nodded to the receptionist at the front desk as he walked out of the museum, heading for the closest food stall.

When he returned, he nodded at her again, praying it didn't look too forced. And that she didn't notice how he clutched his bag with a tighter grip. Walking and keeping a bowl of food upright at his side was no easy task, even after draining the broth! 

But it was healthy. He picked up his pace, winding through exhibits and halls towards his destination, each step echoing around the walls. Yes, noodles, meat, and vegetables. Satoshi would get a good meal today. 

"Food isn't allowed in the museum," a flat voice greeted from the floor. Satoshi had leaned his head back against the wall, half-lidded eyes watching through a thin curtain of blue hair. His arms rested on his knees, looking more like an unamused teen than he had before.

Kosuke winked as he crouched and dug his prize out from the bag. The warm plastic container gave off a pleasant odor as he offered it to Satoshi. "There are worse crimes." He did his best to play the cool grown-up, even as his face flushed at the quip. Maybe this wasn't the right place to joke about Niwa escapades though...

Satoshi tilted his head, staring at the ceiling for a moment before returning his gaze, eyes unreadable like usual. Then a hand reached out and plucked the bowl out of Kosuke's grip.

"I'll never hear the end of this either way."

"I won't tell if you won't!" Kosuke rubbed the back of his neck. Emiko and her father didn't need to know all the details about this particular museum visit anyway.

"Too late, the news is spreading like wildfire," Satoshi snapped open the cheap chopsticks, picked up a piece of food, and—glancing at the adult in his presence—muttered a quick "itadakimasu" before taking a bite.

Kosuke missed most of this as he whipped his head to and fro, searching for the security guard or guide who had caught them red-handed. The hallway was empty, with no guests filtering past the entrances either.

"I'll take all responsibility, Hiwatari-kun," he sat against the wall, an arm's length away from the boy, his hand idling fiddling with his bag on the floor as the other ate. Coolness from the hard wall and floor soaked through his clothes. Maybe he should have brought Satoshi a chair too; this wasn't the most comfortable seat.

They probably wouldn't ban him from the museum for one offense. And if they somehow did, Emiko had more than a few disguises waiting for him.

Kosuke shook his head and looked at the beast sculpture he'd passed several times today, standing at the entrance of the hallway.

"That one started it all." Satoshi broke the silence and raised an eyebrow at Kosuke sudden attention on him. Or his openly surprised face.

"How did..." Which question should he start with? A Hikari was talking to him about an artwork! "Did it tell someone where I went?" Yeah, that's a good one. Kosuke could hardly believe his rotten luck if he missed this moment. Or maybe the artwork had waited until he left to talk. None of the museum staff had seemed distressed, like one would expect after speaking with a magical sculpture. His hand covered his mouth in though.

"It's been telling everyone in earshot this whole time," the boy answered, poking at the vegetables and meat remaining in his plastic bowl. Most of the noodles, and only the noodles, had been eaten, Kosuke noted with a mixture of concern and amusement.

He looked at the artwork, watching for any movement, listening for any gossip.

"I can't hear it," he admitted, covering his disappointment with a sheepish smile. "What is it saying? And to whom?"

Satoshi finally took a bite of meat, and looked up again at the ceiling as he chewed. After a moment, "They're all debating whether or not you eat food."

"They... The artworks? They're... what?"

"You come here a lot, apparently," Satoshi closed his eyes and shoved a carrot slice into his mouth. Kosuke averted his own gaze. Yes, he did, for personal research and... thief research. "They've seen other guests and staff bring in snacks or drinks, but never you. You gave away your food to a Hikari. How could they not notice?"

"That's why they think I don't eat?" Argentine and Towa had their fair share of strange questions and assumptions, sure, but they caught on to human lifestyles over time.

"Not all of them," came the monotone response moments later. "Hence, the debate."

By the time he arrived home from the museum or library, dinner would be on the table. Why annoy the museum staff he'd built a rapport with? Why would artworks assume he didn't eat at all!?

Kosuke stared at the sculpture at the end of the hall in disbelief tinged with betrayal. It shone in the sunlight filtering through paned windows, unmoving as always.

Satoshi stood and reminded Kosuke of the true reason he sat here. One thin hand held his mostly-empty bowl and chopsticks while the other pressed against the wall for support. The teen looked livelier already, at least.

"Your relations aren't exactly law-abiding." As Satoshi spoke, Kosuke rubbed the back of his neck again nervously. "Your visits to the museum most likely aren't either. There has to be some reason you haven't broken this particular rule. That's their logic for you."

Kosuke buried his face in his hands. Artworks were too strange to understand.


	24. Tarot, morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene after volume 6; Kosuke checks his tarot cards each morning

**Cards:** _Seven of Wands | The Chariot | Queen of Pentacles_

Fingers lingered on the edge of the final card as they laid it onto the soft black cloth. His attention flickered between the three elaborate designs, their familiar meanings and associations blending into a single clearer message with each passing second. 

Those same fingers tapped the cloth, the muted sounds barely reaching his ears above the shrill squeal of gears and trapdoors outside the room. Through the open window beside his small wooden desk, Kosuke just barely caught the sound of Daisuke’s cheerful “I’m going now!” as he escaped his mother’s deadliest inventions and ran off to school. 

Back to the cards.

With a sweep of his hand, he scooped them up with his thumb and returned them to the deck resting nearby.

 _The Chariot_. Black and white sphinxes at the foot of the image, ready and waiting under a cloak of stars, lingered in his mind even as he poked his head out of the doorway, calling to Emiko about whether it was safe to walk around yet. An energetic bird flittered by, chirping that the young thief had once again passed his daily tests. He nodded in gratitude and took a slow step onto the hallway, slipper pressing into the wood with the slightest pressure. Each day, the same exciting morning and evening routine in the Niwa home.

The _Seven of Wands_ and _Queen of Pentacles_ that surrounded the main card hinted at the battle for treasure. A battle Daisuke would surely win tonight around... 10pm... according to the enthusiastic woman’s voice on the television near the kitchen.

With a heavy sigh, his shoulders dropped with each tired step down the stairs. Daisuke would be fine, sure, but there would be no progress in the bigger “battle” between the Hikari and Niwa today. At least according to the day’s tarot reading. How much longer were they going to spin their wheels? How much longer could the unstable _Black Wings_ last?

His father-in-law and Emiko already sat at the table eating their breakfast. A plate of food and a mug of coffee had already been placed by his empty seat. He sent a small smile towards Emiko, who beamed back proudly. Another day of research lied ahead. He’d do his best anyway.


	25. Tarot, school

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Hiwatari and Kosuke meet at the school

**Cards:** _The Magician | Knight of Wands | Three of Pentacles_

A sliver of moon hung high in the smoky black sky, rising over the edge of the building, bouncing light off the wrought iron fence and lock mechanism. The figure dressed in black himself paced in front with the scuffing of his boots making him wince each time it pierced the silent night.

Years of studies, of commiserating with Niwas and allies, of reaching out his hand across the battlefield, culminated into one lonely 3am morning.

_Come alone._

That had been the price.

Emiko wanted to ambush. Daiki insisted someone wait in the shadows. Towa promised to keep watch from her perch on the sofa. Argentine offered to ride in his pocket. Baku had finished off Kosuke’s tea when the man turned away too long, explaining calmly what he would do and what might happen.

And Daisuke... Daisuke, who had his own fair share of troubles lately, who didn’t tell him today what Dark really thought about all of this, who was at this moment with the Hikari and negotiating as well.

Kosuke rubbed his dry lips with the back of his hand, wiping away the fond smile that had formed despite the nervous anticipation that buzzed in every nerve. His son had grown so much. The Hikari had grown too, from what he’d seen on the beach and in the Niwa home—brief glimpses, but enough.

Daisuke had met him in the family library as Kosuke collected his notebook and pens, the boy recounting his latest conversation with his fellow tamer, his friend. Things were going well. Kosuke wished he could say the same about his own tentative friendship. Maybe after tonight.

With that Kosuke departed to the meeting place. Just him, his bag, and the empty streets on the way to the Azumano Middle School.

In between the scuffs and pacing, another set of footsteps joined Kosuke, stepping out of the treeline and into the moonlight.

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Hiwatari-san,” Kosuke replied with a nod. It was time to begin.

To his surprise, the dark figure did not touch the lock or the iron gate, much less leap over it like a youthful thief might. Instead it turned and walked in silence, Kosuke a couple paces behind, along the fence. The shadows of the bars stretched into the trees nearby, a prison of darkness covering them.

They walked the entire perimeter of the building. Kosuke’s eyes ached from tiredness by the end. His nerves strung tight, waiting for another policeman to grab him, or a monster to descend from above, or... something worse from the man in front of him.

“You did it after all, Niwa-san.” Hiwatari smiled even wider at Kosuke’s jolt of surprise. “Well done.”

Hiwatari placed a hand on the lock, long fingers barely touching the thick metal that kept the rest of the world out of the school building at night.

“Shall we go to the _Black Wings_ now?”

And kept something inside.


	26. Tarot, ocean

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon divergence in volume 6; Kosuke chases after Satoshi

**Cards:** _Six of Pentacles | Page of Pentacles | Five of Wands_

_“Thank goodness! He’s just unconscious!”_

_“Dark’s magic must have...”_

_“Against the White Wings...”_

_“Kosuke-kun, stop! It’s dangerous!”_

Rubber soles picked up loose gravel and flung it into the air behind him. What had started as slow, uncertain steps, heady with relief that Daisuke was unharmed after the flashy battle, turned into a sprint along the rocky shore. To his left, the calm ocean splashed against the rocks in a chill spray of salty water before receding again, leaving behind little pools before splashing all over again.

Rhythmically washing away the trail of blood.

He followed as far as he could, keeping one eye on the dark droplets and another on the slick, uncertain footholds beneath him. 

His shoes soaked through immediately when he stepped into a shallow pool, too dark to notice in the shadows. The trail ran cold immediately.

Kosuke panted in the cold night air, stopping among the swarm of large boulders, with one hand pressed against for support. He couldn’t see the ocean from here, though the sound of waves splashing never stopped.

He walked slowly through the water, sloshing quietly with each step until the uneven ground rose above sea level again. All the while scanning the area for new clues to guide him.

His own path ended with more boulders, blocking the way forward along the shore. Kosuke looked up to the right, where there were enough footholds to climb and return to the woods that fenced the beach. To the left, he could step down and down, dancing around small pools that eventually led to the ocean.

If Kosuke were magically injured and drained, he would pick...

Down again, his barely drying shoes soaked up more cold water, shocking his numb toes and wetting the hems of his pant legs. Onto rocks, into puddles, he wound through the path and was met with-

A big spray of salt water in his face. His legs soaked to his knees as the large wave tried to push him back to where he came, and then pull him out to the ocean. The slick rubber of his shoes finally lost their grip, nearly sending him tumbling onto his back. His arm flailed for a boulder to regain his balance and grabbed... something soft.

And also soaking wet.

“You!” Kosuke gasped. The thin boy leaned against the boulder, hand clutching his shoulder—thankfully the opposite one from what Kosuke currently held onto. “There you are.” He repeated, face softening in concern and relief.

“You should go.” The young, cool voice not so much commanded, but spoke as a fact. Despite the moonlight, Kosuke couldn’t see his face under the curtain of pale hair.

Maybe he should. Maybe he shouldn’t have left Daisuke and Riku in the hands of Emiko and Daiki. They could take care of everything, but after the night’s excitement, could they explain to Daisuke what he needed to know? Could Kosuke explain either?

The boy shifted, trying to push past Kosuke without jostling his injury, but the man still stood in the opening of the wall of boulders. He kept his hand on the teen’s unharmed shoulder, noting the worryingly cold skin.

“Let me help you back to the hotel,” he said quietly, not purely an offer nor a command. Waves continued to splash both their legs, and the mist of droplets soaked their faces each time. Kosuke blinked hard, trying to wipe the painful salt from his eyes with an equally salty hand.

“No,” the boy’s voice became tight and angry. “You need to go. I need to go.”

“I can’t just-”

“You’re making this worse.” 

Kosuke barely heard the hiss of pain as the bloody hand and shoulder shoved him aside. He stretched out a hand as if to catch the boy before he slipped on a slick rock, but it wasn’t needed as he moved farther and father away in the direction Kosuke had just come from.

He’d followed this far... He wanted to help. He wanted to follow more, to know for sure the boy would return to the hotel safely, got treatment for his arm, got help for his... other problem.

A wave flung water onto Kosuke’s back, which hadn’t yet seen the worst of the ocean’s attention, at least compared to his chilled front and side. He strained his ears, listening to the fading strained breaths and footsteps as the boy climbed the rocks and left.

But he didn’t know how to help him, so he didn’t follow this time.


	27. Tarot, ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Kosuke tries to stop Hiwatari

**Cards:** _King of Swords | The Stars | Five of Wands_

Before his mind could shout what a terrible, no good, _stupid_ idea it was, Kosuke’s hand wrapped around the other person’s wrist.

Immediately a sensation of _wrongness_ prickled his palm and fingers; the rough texture scraped against his skin and drew the heat from his blood. It scraped harder as the wrist twisted to free itself and Kosuke’s grip tightened instinctively. 

His heart pounded in his chest and nausea rolled in his throat. It was wrong. He was wrong. He was—

“What do you think you’re doing, Niwa-san?” the person asked, just above a whisper. The quiet voice sounded exactly like the one he’d heard just a few nights before, muttering over old dusty tomes about long-dead artists and their long-lost creations.

“I don’t want that,” Kosuke began, the words tasted sour on his tongue. Everything tasted sour. Why was he—

“And that’s my problem, because...?” Hiwatari twisted his wrist again, pulling Kosuke forward with a sudden jerk before forcing him back. Any balance he’d once had was lost as he fell. Dirt and ash puffed up from the cracked stone floor, and loose tiles shifted and crumbled under Kosuke’s weight. Still, he held on to that wrist.

“You’re being childish now.” The other man sighed and grabbed Kosuke’s stubborn arm with his free hand.

Again the _wrongness_ filled his senses, each nerve burning at the foreign contact, at the wooden fingers that pressed into flesh and bone. Kosuke winced as the pressure became painful. Hiwatari looked down at him from behind his glasses and black hair, face blank.

Eyes an unnatural, shiny grey instead of their usual black. Skin grained like wood.

“I can’t let you do this,” the Niwa father ground out, the pain turning sharp and white. His wrist might break soon. “You should wait.”

The pressure increased again. His eyes watered and he reached up, hand clawing at the wood that threatened to snap bone. Plant matter collected under his scrabbling fingernails. Hiwatari’s grip didn’t tighten further, blessedly.

“You cannot _do anything_ anyway. Or have you forgotten your role in all of this?” Hiwatari’s voice rose to its usual volume, scolding Kosuke. It was getting hard to hear him over the pounding in his ears, the voice in his head screaming to let go and save his arm, and the cold fog of unnatural magic filling the room. Or just him?

Yes, saving their cursed sons had been the goal all along. They had spent over a year working towards it together, despite their differences, despite their secrets. 

But this method...

He continued fruitlessly grabbing at the other's inhuman appendage. “I don’t want you to die.” 

No, maybe it was...

“I want you to live.”

The grip loosened slightly, enough for Kosuke to slip the tips of his fingers between his screaming arm and Hiwatari’s wooden hand. The rough grain sent goosebumps up both limbs now. If his scalp weren’t clammy, his hair might have stood on end too.

They remained locked in place among the ruins, dust, and long-forgotten histories. 

“Hasn’t it been long enough? Do you think a few more years are worth what's at stake? Now you’re being childish _and_ selfish, Niwa-san. This isn’t like you.”

He could look up again, blinking away the pained wetness in his eyes, willing tears not to escape and confirm Hiwatari’s words. Through the blur, he could see that dark head of hair shake back and forth in disappointment.

“No...” With his grip under the wooden hand, Kosuke pulled. Hiwatari responded with equal force to keep his balance, and the Niwa father used that to rise back onto stumbling legs.

His head spun at the sudden change, and the room became smudges of grey and black that churned his stomach again. His arm still begged to be released.

“Not long enough for me.” His bloodless, dusty face had stopped inches away from the wooden one. When his vision cleared, Kosuke searched the narrowed, grey eyes of the man in front of him.

“I’ll find another way, Hiwatari-san. After, if you still don’t want... Then I won’t interfere.”

Kosuke had no shy smiles or blushes here, unlike previous encounters during strained alliances and research, daily meetings in coffee shops, or nightly book exchanges in each other’s homes, with accidental hand brushes or confusingly nerve-wracking proximities.

The grip on his wrist loosened to a gentle pressure, nearly making him bow in relief as the previous pain faded into throbbing.

“In retrospect, you’ve always been this stupid man.” But Hiwatari didn’t sound too disappointed by that.

Kosuke half-sighed, half-laughed at the other’s flat words and stare.

Hiwatari leaned his rough forehead against Kosuke’s. The uncomfortably cold prickling oozed down his cheeks and neck, and the sourness of the air grew stronger. His chest remained peculiarly warm through it all.

He didn’t know how long they stood there in the ruins, flesh and wood arms tangled together.


	28. Tarot, sitting room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene after the finale; Kosuke and Risa miss something they can't remember

**Cards:** _Knight of Cups | Page of Wands | The Emperor_

“You know the feeling, right? Like reaching into a bag and seeing all the snacks are gone faster than you thought.” With _kyuu’d_ in response to whatever attention the speaker was currently giving him. “Or when you climb stairs, and your foot falls hard because there isn’t another step at the top.”

Kosuke nodded before realizing she couldn’t see him in the kitchen.

“Yes, I get that too sometimes,” he spoke loud enough for his voice to carry to the sitting room. Kosuke looped his fingers through the handles of both steaming mugs and walked slowly through the open doorway.

She stayed seated on the sofa, wiping her eyes swiftly, and he pretended not to notice.

“It’s the worst when I look at Niwa-kun... Sorry.” She reached towards the starry red mug he offered, leaving the drab green one for himself. One hand rested it on her knees, somehow unbothered by the heat. “And thanks.”

“It’s nothing,” he softly replied and sat on the armchair opposite her. A low table stood between them. 

There were words on the tip of his tongue. Things he knew at one time and wanted to tell her. He shook his head, wishing they would dislodge and be spoken once and for all. All he knew was some unwritten fairytale, like the ones he’d once pursued around the world. But it wasn’t in any of the Niwa library’s books; he’d checked. 

It was the tale of an eternal, broken monster who grew into something more with the love of a determined, passionate young woman.

“When I look at Daisuke,” Kosuke said instead, meeting her shiny brown eyes with his own, clouded by memories, “it’s the opposite. I feel like something has finally ended. I feel... accomplished.”

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“That’s an arrogant thing for a father to say,” he conceded with a wince. “He only just started high school.” 

And Kosuke hadn’t been home long enough to contribute much to his son’s life.

The usual dull ache of lost time returned often enough, but.... But he couldn’t bring himself to regret that he’d left his family for the pursuit of knowledge. Couldn’t justify it either. No one blamed him. It just _was._

A lot of things just _were_ these days.

Wistfulness clung to every surface in the Niwa home. Its inhabitants as well. As if they were waiting for certain persons to walk through the door or crash on the couch or run down the stairs and shout “I’m back!” And then the family would be whole again.

It’s not like With hadn’t done it a couple days ago.

Kosuke stared at the sleeping white rabbit in his guest’s lap, wondering where the family pet had run off to for nearly two months. Remembering how hard Daisuke had cried as he hugged him.

“He doesn’t remind you of... anyone else?”

“He does,” Kosuke responded quickly. He and his guest weren’t the only ones either, from what his wife had shared. “He’s still Daisuke, through and through, but when I look at him, I also see...”

The words dissolved on his tongue again.

Who did he see?

Risa sipped her hot chocolate, her shoulder-length brown hair curtaining her face. She’d visited the Niwa home many times, along with Takeshi and Satoshi. They made a strange crew. Kosuke smiled at the thought of their usual study nights. Loud bickering met with deadpan responses and Daisuke's attempts at peacemaker. Not even closed doors could keep out the worst of it.

These kids too seemed to bear that burden of wondering and waiting that had infected the Niwa family. Some invisible thread knotted and tangled them together. Kosuke could remember a time before this bittersweet emptiness sank into his heart, but he couldn’t remember what had changed.

Still, Daisuke and his friends carried on ahead towards their wide open futures. Children were strong like that.

“I miss Niwa-kun when he’s not around,” she said before jerking her head up, eyes blazing. “Not like Riku does, of course! He’s my _friend._ ”

The adult waved his hand with placating amusement.

“But when Niwa-kun is around, then I miss someone else instead,” she finished, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, which immediately escaped after.

“Don’t you think that’s weird?” She looked at the sleeping With in her lap, her hand tangling in his soft white fur, making him stretch and curl up again.

“Not in the slightest,” he took a swig of hot tea, following the burn down his throat. In his mind, he could see Emiko carefully folding dark fabrics with shiny buckles. Daiki sitting outside, silently looking up at the stars. Daisuke covering canvases with black and purple painted feathers. With roaming the halls, calling out to the shadows. “I think it’s very normal.”

She nodded, more thoughtful than comforted.

Voices carried down the hall with the sound of a door slamming shut. 

“Oi, Harada! You still here?” 

“You guys took your sweet time! How long does it take to pick up a few ingredients?” She shouted over her shoulder, jolting With awake at the sudden raise in volume. 

“A few!?” That and other grumbles grew louder as the group approached.

Putting down her half-finished mug, both her hands then petted the rabbit extra tenderly, sending the adult across from her an apologetic smile as well. Kosuke shook his head and chuckled. He lived with Emiko. This was _nothing_. 

The boys trudged through the sitting room, nearly buried in shopping bags. A cabbage rolled out from one of the dozen vegetable bags Takeshi had hung on his straining arms as he shouted, “Cooking 102 has begun!”

Daisuke kicked the vegetable up with a nudge of his foot and caught it in the crook of his elbow, fast as ever despite his hands completely filled with packages of noodles and sauces.

Satoshi trailed behind, his face neutral and relaxed under the weight of food trying to drag his thin frame down onto the carpet.

“Thanks for listening, Niwa-san. I promise I won’t melt anymore spoons!” Risa waved and trotted ahead of the boys into the kitchen as the friendly bickering started anew.

He took another sip of tea and sank deeper onto the soft armchair, wondering and waiting for something he wouldn't find. Risa was strong. She would be fine.


	29. Tarot, payphone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing scene before volume 1; Kosuke calls home

**Cards:** _The Sun | Ten of Wands | Five of Swords_

"Kosuke-san...” The feigned disappointment in her voice was undercut by the audible grin on her lips. “How many times have I told you to call collect?”

His ear had finally stopped ringing. Emiko’s delighted shrieks never lost their energy or volume for all the calls she answered over the years. And he never failed to pull the receiver away too late.

The rough fur on the hood of his worn coat tickled his neck. His backpack leaned against his leg, giving his shoulders a break from the heavy notebooks inside. The fraying straps would need to be replaced soon.

“I needed to use up some change,” Kosuke answered lightly, adding another half-dozen coins to the box for the hell of it. An international call would easily eat through the mini bank forming in his pockets.

“You could’ve exchanged for bills, you kno—AH! Dai-chan!! Good job rolling out of bed in time!”

Kosuke leaned against the bright blue tiled wall that held the row of payphones and listened to her praise their son about the usual strange things.

She sometimes gave Kosuke updates on Daisuke’s training when he called, though most of it admittedly went over his head. Pits, dogs, spikes... They had to be Niwa codewords, right? Wasn’t being a phantom thief about disguises and picking locks?

A couple bulbs whined overhead, coating the deserted area with yellow light.

The sun wouldn’t rise for a few more hours here, but the Niwa home was wide awake on the other end of the line.

“Say hi to your father before you go to school!” Her bubbly voice faded as she no doubt held out the phone. Daisuke said something that likewise disappeared between the bulbs' whine and Emiko’s demands.

“Hi, Dad,” was the evidence of her victory.

“Hey, Daisuke.” The fond smile from when Emiko first picked up the line softened further. “How’s middle school going?”

“Not bad,” his son squeaked. His voice hadn’t cracked once during their previous call. A lot could change in just a few months. “Busy with studying... and other stuff. Saehara is in the same class as me.”

Saehara... Daisuke’s friend. Kosuke had only seen him in a photo taken when the boys were much younger. But he sounded like a good kid.

Kosuke juggled a handful of cold coins in his pocket. “That’s good. First year at a new school can be lonely.”

“Yeah.”

Fuzzy silence settled on the line. Daisuke would be late for school soon. Without Emiko keeping the mood lively and dancing between topics, their chats didn’t last long anyway. Unfortunately.

It’s not like they could discuss Kosuke’s latest discoveries in the field of magical artworks or legends about a curse that may or may not awaken in the Niwa DNA in about one year.

“I also...” Kosuke held back a sigh of gratitude at the sound of Daisuke talking again. “I joined the art club.” His son’s words tumbled through the hard plastic phone.

“Art, huh?” One would think a future art thief might choose... any other hobby. But wasn’t this what he’d proposed to Emiko and her father nearly thirteen years ago? Daisuke could choose a different path, given the freedom... “Which medium are you looking at?”

“Just trying anything for now.” He sounded clearer, as if the receiver had been moved closer to his mouth. Kosuke dropped another handful of coins into the box, quickly, so the clinking of metal wouldn’t cover anything. “The teacher loaned me a box of chalk pastels. You can just use them like a fat pencil, but if you turn them on their sides, they make this texture that...”

As the boy described his latest artworks and club activities, Kosuke fished inside the breast pocket of his thick coat, between the wallet and passport, for a small paper square. 

The photograph already had a permanent crease on one corner, but the happy faces of Emiko, Daiki, and Daisuke remained unharmed.

A digital timestamp at the top said it was taken in the middle of last year, though he’d only just received it four months ago. He had stayed in a big city at the time, scouring its many libraries and museums, long enough to rent a PO Box again and get a new set of photos and letters from his family. 

Since then his targets had been remote locations and ruins. Not exactly conducive to keeping in touch with family.

A calloused thumb rubbed the shiny surface, every detail long since memorized.

“Sorry, this is probably boring,” Daisuke broke off his description of the school's kiln. Kosuke rested his head against the cool tile wall with a _thump_ and smiled in quiet sympathy. 

He’d done his fair share of rambling to family and strangers alike about art, though never as someone who creates!

“Not to me. You’ll figure out how to capture those shadows one of these days. Good luck with the art club. Ah, and your classes too.”

“Class..! Right, I gotta go! Bye, Dad!” And then he was gone, faster than Kosuke could say his own farewells.

His gaze lingered on Daisuke’s face in the photo, torn between guilt for delaying him and elation at their extended chat.

No wonder Emiko was the way she was. She spoke with their gentlehearted son every day.

Well, there were other reasons too, but that probably helped.

“He stepped right into a snare on the way out. We’ll have to work on that,” Emiko tsked contemplatively after rescuing the abandoned phone.

“When you say _“snare”_ , do you actually mean—”

“Kosuke-san, you have to tell me everything! How have you been? Where are you now? Have you found anything?”

He tucked the photo back into his coat and emptied the remaining coins from his pockets into the payphone. Right, he’d called for a reason!


	30. Tarot, river

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU; Hiwatari saves Kosuke from an artwork

**Cards:** _Ace of Pentacles | Ace of Cups | Five of Swords_

His head burst through the surface, spitting out sweet water. His feet kicked uselessly, finding nothing below them to stand on.

Rocks and dead bushes lined the banks of the furious river he found himself in. Crystalline light bounced off each ripple despite the thick fog that hid the sun and sky. 

Frigid water swept over his head, and when he opened his eyes again, pale blobs stood out among the darkness below. A gasp of surprise released the precious air from his lungs, sending a flurry of bubbles in front of him. His panicked arms flailed at the figures that had drifted into view.

Figures with smooth skin and hair and sightless eyes. 

He broke through the surface, kicking and shoving until their stiff fingers released his clothes and they floated away in the same current that carried him.

As the river of bodies threatened to pull him down once more, a lone tree faded into view from the fog. It stood wedged between rocks, as leafless as the bushes around. Its branches stretched and dangled just above the greedy water.

Kosuke swam, sinking and surfacing, towards the tree. He grasped at the delicate wood, pulling and snapping twigs with blind desperation for any semblance of safety. 

A stronger branch scraped against his cheek while others twisted around his arms and—

Kosuke landed on varnished floor with a splash, coughing and sputtering water. He knelt there, gulping in air, not trusting his buzzing limbs to do more yet.

“Is the inability to keep one’s hands to oneself a requirement for the Niwa name?” A silky voice said from above.

Kosuke looked up in surprise, the past hour returning to him in one stuttered heartbeat. They had used Hiwatari’s concerningly impressive police authority to access a tightly secured and recently abandoned building. The previous owner had been known for collecting strange artworks. One now laid fallen behind the Niwa on the floor.

“Or do you somehow think _you_ can resist magic strong enough to consume its own creators?” The other man leaned forward, hands resting leisurely in his pockets and eyes nearly closed from the intensity of his smile. The teasing lilt in his words sent a shiver down Kosuke’s back.

“That’s not what I—” Kosuke coughed again, bracing himself on his knees and shakily standing. “I’m soaking wet..!”

“I see your wits haven’t all come back yet, Niwa-san.” Hiwatari cocked his head to the side and looked him up and down.

Kosuke wrung out the bottom of his shirt, splattering water onto the floor beneath his soggy shoes. He mentally apologized to the missing owner of the house for making the condition worse. Though maybe a few water stains were the least of his concerns.

“Sorry... This has never happened to me before,” Kosuke admitted.

“Touching things that don’t belong to you or facing the consequences of that action?” The feather-light question brought a shamed flush to Kosuke’s face. Yes, he hadn’t heeded all of Hiwatari’s warnings. No, Hiwatari didn’t need to continue needling him for it. 

The younger man wasn’t finished either, as he nodded towards the floor. “You recognize this painting, don’t you?”

Inside the cracked frame sat an oil landscape of rocks and winter trees with a glistening river that cut the composition in half. A lesser known Hikari created it after the Cultural Revolution, and it passed through the hands of seven or eight owners, all of whom disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Bobbing bodies in rolling water flashed through Kosuke’s mind. He shook the image out of his head, and droplets flew off the ends of his black hair.

“Yes, I know the history. But I still don’t understand,” he answered, touching his chin with the curious hand that had caused this fiasco. “Artworks have never had an effect on me...”

Hiwatari sighed; a long, drawn-out, exaggerated sigh that heated Kosuke’s face again. “Artworks always have an effect on people. All the time. With enough exposure, one’s senses eventually perceive that effect. You’ve evidently reached your limit. Congratulations.”

That was... surprising.

“Did you pull me out of there?” Kosuke wiped his damp cheeks with an equally damp hand. Humans experienced with artwork magic could save others from it? Maybe he could explore these worlds if someone stayed on the outside, like a spotter. How had Hiwatari actually saved him though? Kosuke’s head spun with unrelenting questions.

The man hmm’d in assent and tilted back, looking up at the ceiling as if to ask the heavens why he’d been saddled with this nosy burden, before continuing down the hallway at a leisurely pace. Kosuke hesitantly walked a couple paces behind, boots squishing with each step. An open window from another room let in a draft that chilled him through.

Each creak of a floorboard or squeal of an unoiled door sped up his heart. His ears and eyes searched for anything out of the ordinary while they explored the building, his muscles tensed for any ambush. If Hiwatari was right, then he had graduated to a target like the owners of the painting.

“Why now? I studied the works of the Hikari for years...” Kosuke asked quieter than intended. He peeked at a carved bust on a table as they passed. _All the time, huh?_

Hiwatari hmm’d again before twisting the brass knob on a door and flinging it open. Kosuke jumped with a stifled gasp at the loud bang that echoed through the building. 

The younger man tilted his head in false concern towards the skittish Niwa. He was still teasing!?

“Hiwatari-san, please be serio—”

“You know the different expressions of artworks, right?” he asked over his shoulder when they stepped into the room lit by orange sunlight.

Marble tiles covered the floor and ornate gilded panels lined the walls. Paintings hung and decorated vases stood in front of each panel. This collection was beautiful. Some pieces could very well catch Dark or Emiko’s eyes in the future. Kosuke’s pounding heart began to calm with the familiar thoughts.

“Not mediums, but _expressions_ ,” Hiwatari elaborated with a raised eyebrow at Kosuke’s silence. Perhaps he was starting to doubt the latter despite their many months of researching together.

Kosuke frowned. “Yes, there are ones that can take the form of animals or humans, and some that are,” he tripped on his next words, all too aware of his cold, wet clothes, “other worlds.”

“And there are some that serve as containers or messengers for human emotions,” Hiwatari finished, crushing something that looked like a dead bug with his polished shoe. “I’ll let you deduce which contain the most magic. All you really need to understand is that proximity to powerful artworks increases one’s sensitivity at a faster rate.”

“So this must be because of Dar—” Kosuke coughed nervously when Hiwatari’s pleasant gaze gained a predatory light. “Because I’ve spent time around Daisuke’s... other self.”

Hiwatari’s black eyes closed as his smile grew wider.

“... That seems to be the case, Niwa-san.”

Kosuke had gotten answers. And he had finally unlocked the ability to interact with Hikari creations. So why did he still feel like he was stumbling through this blind?

They continued into the abandoned gallery room, examining the pieces, assessing their potential threats or uses, and not laying a hand on any of them. 


End file.
